Sharing Video Footage from Audio/Video Recording and Communication Devices

ABSTRACT

Sharing video footage recorded by audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices, such as video doorbells and security cameras. When an A/V recording and communication device records video footage of suspicious activity, or even criminal activity, a user viewing the footage may alert his or her neighbors by sharing the video. In various embodiments, the user may share the video with anyone of the user&#39;s choosing, including neighbors, friends, and family.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/431,607,filed on Feb. 13, 2017, which claims priority to provisional applicationSer. No. 62/376,826, filed on Aug. 18, 2016, and provisional applicationSer. No. 62/300,547, filed on Feb. 26, 2016. The entire contents of thepriority applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if fullyset forth.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present embodiments relate to audio/video (AN) recording andcommunication devices, including A/V recording and communicationdoorbell systems. In particular, the present embodiments improve thefunctionality of A/V recording and communication devices by facilitatingeasy sharing of video footage recorded by such devices.

BACKGROUND

Home safety is a concern for many homeowners and renters. Those seekingto protect or monitor their homes often wish to have video and audiocommunications with visitors, for example, those visiting an externaldoor or entryway. Audio/Video (A/V) recording and communication devices,such as doorbells, provide this functionality, and can also aid in crimedetection and prevention. For example, audio and/or video captured by anA/V recording and communication device can be uploaded to the cloud andrecorded on a remote server. Subsequent review of the A/V footage canaid law enforcement in capturing perpetrators of home burglaries andother crimes. Further, the presence of one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices on the exterior of a home, such as a doorbell unitat the entrance to the home, acts as a powerful deterrent againstwould-be burglars.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methodsfor sharing video footage from audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices have several features, no single one of which issolely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting thescope of the present embodiments as expressed by the claims that follow,their more prominent features now will be discussed briefly. Afterconsidering this discussion, and particularly after reading the sectionentitled “Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features ofthe present embodiments provide the advantages described herein.

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization thatusers of audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices may fromtime to time desire to share video footage recorded by their devices.For example, when an A/V recording and communication device recordsvideo footage of suspicious activity, or even criminal activity, a userviewing the footage may desire to alert his or her neighbors to thepossible danger posed by the person(s) involved in the suspicious orcriminal activity. It would be advantageous, then, to enhance thefunctionality of A/V recording and communication devices by facilitatingeasy sharing of video footage recorded by such devices with one'sneighbors. In another example, an A/V recording and communication devicemay record video footage of activity that may be of interest to theuser's friends and family (e.g., images of children playing in theyard). It would be advantageous, then, to enhance the functionality ofA/V recording and communication devices by facilitating easy sharing ofvideo footage recorded by such devices with one's friends and family.The present embodiments, as described in detail below, provide these,and other, enhancements. In particular, the present embodiments enablevideo footage captured by A/V recording and communication devices to bereadily uploaded to the cloud and shared with anyone of the user'schoosing, including neighbors, friends, and family. In addition, thepresent embodiments improve upon and solve the problem of video footagecaptured by A/V recording and communication devices being accessibleonly to the owner of the A/V recording and communication device, whichlimits the ability of such devices to help stop crime.

In a first aspect, a system is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, a plurality ofother A/V recording and communication devices, and a network device, thesystem comprising the network device having a processor and a memory,wherein the memory stores code operable by the processor for receiving ashare signal from the first client device, the share signal indicatingthat images captured by a camera of the first A/V recording andcommunication device are to be shared with one or more users associatedwith the other A/V recording and communication devices; in response toreceiving the share signal from the first client device, determiningthat the first A/V recording and communication device is within apredefined distance from a second A/V recording and communication devicefrom among the plurality of other A/V recording and communicationdevices; and transmitting a share notification signal to a second clientdevice associated with the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In an embodiment of the first aspect, the memory further stores codeoperable by the processor for receiving a playback request signal fromthe second client device in response to the share notification signal.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the memory further storescode operable by the processor for transmitting a video signal to thesecond client device in response to the playback request signal, thevideo signal including the images captured by the camera of the firstA/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the share signal from thefirst client device includes text describing the images captured by thecamera of the first A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the memory further storescode operable by the processor for transmitting the text together withthe video share notification signal to the second client device.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the predefined distance isconfigurable by a user of the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the at least one of the firstA/V recording and communication device and the second A/V recording andcommunication device is an A/V recording and communication doorbell.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the at least one of the firstclient device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a second aspect, a method is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, a plurality ofother A/V recording and communication devices, and a network device, themethod comprising the network device receiving a share signal from thefirst client device, the share signal indicating that images captured bya camera of the first A/V recording and communication device are to beshared with one or more users associated with the other A/V recordingand communication devices; in response to receiving the share signalfrom the first client device, the network device determining that thefirst A/V recording and communication device is within a predefineddistance from a second A/V recording and communication device from amongthe plurality of other A/V recording and communication devices; and thenetwork device transmitting a share notification signal to a secondclient device associated with the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises thenetwork device receiving a playback request signal from the secondclient device in response to the share notification signal.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprisesthe network device transmitting a video signal to the second clientdevice in response to the playback request signal, the video signalincluding the images captured by the first A/V recording andcommunication device.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the share signal from thefirst client device includes text describing the images captured by thefirst A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprisesthe network device transmitting the text together with the video sharenotification signal to the second client device.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the predefined distance isconfigurable by a user of the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the at least one of thefirst A/V recording and communication device and the second A/Vrecording and communication device is an A/V recording and communicationdoorbell.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the at least one of thefirst client device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a third aspect, a system is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, a plurality ofother A/V recording and communication devices, and a network includingone or more network devices, the system comprising each of the one ormore network devices having a processor and a memory, wherein one ormore of the memories stores code operable by one or more of theprocessors for receiving from the first A/V recording and communicationdevice a first alert signal and a first video signal, the first videosignal including images captured by a camera of the first A/V recordingand communication device; transmitting to the first client device, inresponse to receiving the first alert signal and the first video signal,a second alert signal and a second video signal, the second video signalincluding the images captured by the camera of the first A/V recordingand communication device; receiving a share signal from the first clientdevice; in response to receiving the share signal from the first clientdevice, determining that the first A/V recording and communicationdevice is within a predefined distance from a second A/V recording andcommunication device from among the plurality of other A/V recording andcommunication devices; and transmitting a share notification signal to asecond client device associated with the second A/V recording andcommunication device.

In an embodiment of the third aspect, the one or more of the memoriesfurther stores code operable by one or more of the processors forreceiving a playback request signal from the second client device inresponse to the share notification signal.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the one or more of thememories further stores code operable by one or more of the processorsfor transmitting a third video signal to the second client device inresponse to the playback request signal, the third video signalincluding the images captured by the camera of the first A/V recordingand communication device.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the share signal from thefirst client device includes text describing the images captured by thecamera of the first A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the one or more of thememories further stores code operable by one or more of the processorsfor transmitting the text together with the third video sharenotification signal to the second client device.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the predefined distance isconfigurable by a user of the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the at least one of the firstA/V recording and communication device and the second A/V recording andcommunication device is an A/V recording and communication doorbell.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the at least one of the firstclient device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the one or more networkdevices includes one or more servers.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, a plurality ofother A/V recording and communication devices, and a network includingone or more network devices, the method comprising the one or morenetwork devices receiving from the first A/V recording and communicationdevice a first alert signal and a first video signal, the first videosignal including images captured by the camera of the first A/Vrecording and communication device; the one or more network devicestransmitting to the first client device, in response to receiving thefirst alert signal and the first video signal, a second alert signal anda second video signal, the second video signal including the imagescaptured by the camera of the first A/V recording and communicationdevice; the one or more network devices receiving a share signal fromthe first client device; in response to receiving the share signal fromthe first client device, the one or more network devices determiningthat the first A/V recording and communication device is within apredefined distance from a second A/V recording and communication devicefrom among the plurality of other A/V recording and communicationdevices; and the one or more network devices transmitting a sharenotification signal to a second client device associated with the secondA/V recording and communication device.

In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method further comprises theone or more network devices receiving a playback request signal from thesecond client device in response to the share notification signal.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method further comprisesthe one or more network devices transmitting a third video signal to thesecond client device in response to the playback request signal, thethird video signal including the images captured by the first A/Vrecording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the share signal from thefirst client device includes text describing the images captured by thefirst A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method further comprisesthe one or more network devices transmitting the text together with thethird video share notification signal to the second client device.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the predefined distance isconfigurable by a user of the second A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the at least one of thefirst A/V recording and communication device and the second A/Vrecording and communication device is an A/V recording and communicationdoorbell.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the at least one of thefirst client device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the one or more networkdevices includes one or more servers.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a fifth aspect, a system is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, at least a secondA/V recording and communication device, at least a second client deviceassociated with the second A/V recording and communication device, and anetwork device, the system comprising the network device having aprocessor and a memory, wherein the memory stores code operable by theprocessor for receiving from the first client device informationassociated with the first A/V recording and communication device,including a location of the first A/V recording and communicationdevice; receiving from the first client device an enable signal for ashare feature of the first A/V recording and communication device;receiving from the first client device a notification distanceassociated with the share feature of the first A/V recording andcommunication device; updating at least one data structure maintained bythe network device with the received information and the receivednotification distance; receiving a share signal from the second clientdevice; in response to receiving the share signal from the second clientdevice, determining that the second A/V recording and communicationdevice is within the notification distance associated with the sharefeature of the first A/V recording and communication device; andtransmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.

In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the non-volatile memory furtherstores code operable by the processor for receiving a playback requestsignal from the first client device in response to the sharenotification signal.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the non-volatile memoryfurther stores code operable by the processor for transmitting a videosignal to the first client device in response to the playback requestsignal, the video signal including images captured by a camera of thesecond A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the share signal from thesecond client device includes text describing the images captured by thecamera of the second A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the non-volatile memoryfurther stores code operable by the processor for transmitting the texttogether with the video share notification signal to the first clientdevice.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the notification distance isconfigurable by a user of the first A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the at least one of the firstA/V recording and communication device and the second A/V recording andcommunication device is an A/V recording and communication doorbell.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the at least one of the firstclient device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a sixth aspect, a method is provided for communicating among a firstA/V recording and communication device, a first client device associatedwith the first A/V recording and communication device, at least a secondA/V recording and communication device, at least a second client deviceassociated with the second A/V recording and communication device, and anetwork device, the method comprising receiving from the first clientdevice information associated with the first A/V recording andcommunication device, including a location of the first A/V recordingand communication device; receiving from the first client device anenable signal for a share feature of the first A/V recording andcommunication device; receiving from the first client device anotification distance associated with the share feature of the first A/Vrecording and communication device; updating at least one data structuremaintained by the network device with the received information and thereceived notification distance; receiving a share signal from the secondclient device; in response to receiving the share signal from the secondclient device, determining that the second A/V recording andcommunication device is within the notification distance associated withthe share feature of the first A/V recording and communication device;and transmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.

In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprisesreceiving a playback request signal from the first client device inresponse to the share notification signal.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprisestransmitting a video signal to the first client device in response tothe playback request signal, the video signal including images capturedby a camera of the second A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the share signal from thesecond client device includes text describing the images captured by thecamera of the second A/V recording and communication device.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprisestransmitting the text together with the video share notification signalto the first client device.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the notification distance isconfigurable by a user of the first A/V recording and communicationdevice.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the at least one of the firstA/V recording and communication device and the second A/V recording andcommunication device is an A/V recording and communication doorbell.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the at least one of the firstclient device and the second client device is a smartphone.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the network device comprisesone or more network services.

In a seventh aspect, a computer program application is provided forsharing recorded video footage from an audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication device, the computer program application being embodied incode executable by a processor of a client device, which when executedcauses the client device to provide a user alert and display, on adisplay of the client device, streaming video footage recorded by acamera of the A/V recording and communication device; receive an inputof an answer to the user alert; in response to the answer to the useralert, display a live call screen on the display of the client device,the live call screen including a neighborhood share button; receive aninput of a selection of the neighborhood share button during the livecall; in response to the input of the selection of the neighborhoodshare button, and after the live call is terminated, display shareinformation on the display of the client device, the share informationindicating that recorded video footage of the live call will be sharedwith one or more other users; receive an input of a share command; andtransmit a share signal to a network, the share signal includinginformation to enable the network to identify the one or more otherusers who will be notified of the shared recorded video footage.

In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, receiving the input of the sharecommand comprises receiving an input of a selection of a share button.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the client device is asmartphone.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the live call screenfurther includes at least one of a call end button, a volume adjustbutton, a mute button, a full screen button, and a menu button.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to display, in response to the input ofthe selection of the neighborhood share button, a notification on thedisplay of the client device that a prompt will be provided after thelive call to share the recorded video footage of the live call with theone or more other users.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the notification appears ina banner portion of the live call.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the notification does notinterrupt the live call.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the share informationfurther includes a still image from the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the share informationfurther includes a notice that the recorded video footage will be sharedalong with a general indication of where the recorded video footage wasrecorded.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the share informationfurther includes a text entry box.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to receive as an input text thatdescribes a content of the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the share signal furtherincludes the text that describes the content of the recorded videofootage.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to display, in response to the input ofthe selection of the share button, a confirmation that the recordedvideo footage has been shared.

In an eighth aspect, a method is provided for sharing recorded videofootage from an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device,the method comprising providing a user alert and displaying, on adisplay of a client device, streaming video footage recorded by a cameraof the A/V recording and communication device; receiving an input of ananswer to the user alert; in response to the answer to the user alert,displaying a live call screen on the display of the client device, thelive call screen including a neighborhood share button; receiving aninput of a selection of the neighborhood share button during the livecall; in response to the input of the selection of the neighborhoodshare button, and after the live call is terminated, displaying shareinformation on the display of the client device, the share informationindicating that recorded video footage of the live call will be sharedwith one or more other users; receiving an input of a share command; andtransmitting a share signal to a network, the share signal includinginformation to enable the network to identify the one or more otherusers who will be notified of the shared recorded video footage.

In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, receiving the input of the sharecommand comprises receiving an input of a selection of a share button.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the client device is asmartphone.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the live call screen furtherincludes at least one of a call end button, a volume adjust button, amute button, a full screen button, and a menu button.

Another embodiment of the eighth aspect further comprises, in responseto the input of the selection of the neighborhood share button,displaying a notification on the display of the client device that aprompt will be provided after the live call to share the recorded videofootage of the live call with the one or more other users.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the notification appears ina banner portion of the live call.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the notification does notinterrupt the live call.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the share informationfurther includes a still image from the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the share informationfurther includes a notice that the recorded video footage will be sharedalong with a general indication of where the recorded video footage wasrecorded.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the share informationfurther includes a text entry box.

Another embodiment of the eighth aspect further comprises receiving asan input text that describes a content of the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the share signal furtherincludes the text that describes the content of the recorded videofootage.

Another embodiment of the eighth aspect further comprises, in responseto the input of the selection of the share button, displaying on thedisplay of the client device a confirmation that the recorded videofootage has been shared.

In a ninth aspect, a computer program application is provided forsharing recorded video footage from an audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication device, the computer program application being embodied incode executable by a processor of a client device, which when executedcauses the client device to playback, on a video playback screen on adisplay of the client device, at least a portion of the recorded videofootage, the video playback screen including a neighborhood sharebutton; receive an input of a selection of the neighborhood sharebutton; in response to the input of the selection of the neighborhoodshare button, display share information on the display of the clientdevice, the share information indicating that the recorded video footagewill be shared with one or more other users; receive an input of a sharecommand; and transmit a share signal to a network, the share signalincluding information to enable the network to identify the one or moreother users who will be notified of the shared recorded video footage.

In an embodiment of the ninth aspect, receiving the input of the sharecommand comprises receiving an input of a selection of a share button.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the client device is asmartphone.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the video playback screenfurther includes at least one of a volume adjustment slider widget, arewind button, a play button, a fast forward button, a delete button,and a share button.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the video playback screenfurther includes a progress bar and a slider widget that indicates whatportion of the recorded video footage is currently playing.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a still image from the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a notice that the recorded video footage will be shared alongwith a general indication of where the recorded video footage wasrecorded.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a text entry box.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to receive as an input text thatdescribes a content of the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the share signal furtherincludes the text that describes the content of the recorded videofootage.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to display, in response to the input ofthe selection of the share button, a confirmation that the recordedvideo footage has been shared.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to display, after receiving the inputof the share command, a message providing an option to unshare therecorded video footage.

In a tenth aspect, a method is provided for sharing recorded videofootage from an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device,the method comprising playing back, on a video playback screen on adisplay of the client device, at least a portion of the recorded videofootage, the video playback screen including a neighborhood sharebutton; receiving an input of a selection of the neighborhood sharebutton; in response to the input of the selection of the neighborhoodshare button, displaying share information on the display of the clientdevice, the share information indicating that the recorded video footagewill be shared with one or more other users; receiving an input of ashare command; and transmitting a share signal to a network, the sharesignal including information to enable the network to identify the oneor more other users who will be notified of the shared recorded videofootage.

In an embodiment of the tenth aspect, receiving the input of the sharecommand comprises receiving an input of a selection of a share button.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the client device is asmartphone.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the video playback screenfurther includes at least one of a volume adjustment slider widget, arewind button, a play button, a fast forward button, a delete button,and a share button.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the video playback screenfurther includes a progress bar and a slider widget that indicates whatportion of the recorded video footage is currently playing.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a still image from the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a notice that the recorded video footage will be shared alongwith a general indication of where the recorded video footage wasrecorded.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the share information furtherincludes a text entry box.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the computer programapplication code, when executed by the processor of the client device,further causes the client device to receive as an input text thatdescribes a content of the recorded video footage.

In another embodiment of the tenth aspect, the share signal furtherincludes the text that describes the content of the recorded videofootage.

Another embodiment of the tenth aspect further comprises the clientdevice displaying, in response to the input of the selection of theshare button, a confirmation that the recorded video footage has beenshared.

Another embodiment of the tenth aspect further comprises the clientdevice displaying, after receiving the input of the share command, amessage providing an option to unshare the recorded video footage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methodsfor sharing video footage from audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices now will be discussed in detail with an emphasison highlighting the advantageous features. These embodiments depict thenovel and non-obvious apparatus, systems, and methods for sharing videofootage from A/V recording and communication devices shown in theaccompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. Thesedrawings include the following figures, in which like numerals indicatelike parts:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system for streamingand storing A/V content captured by an audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication device according to the present embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an A/V recording and communication doorbellaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the A/V recording and communication doorbell ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 2 attached to a mounting bracket according to an aspectof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional right side view of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder of the A/V recording and communication doorbellof FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder assembly of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the passive infrared sensor assembly of FIG.10A and a field of view thereof according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the components of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process for a A/V recording andcommunication doorbell according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another process for a A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another process for a A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system for sharingvideo footage from audio/video recording and communication devicesaccording to the present embodiments;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of a neighborhood with a plurality of A/Vrecording and communication doorbells according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 20-24 are screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI)illustrating aspects of a process for sharing video footage from an A/Vrecording and communication device according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 25-29 are screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI)illustrating aspects of another process for sharing video footage froman A/V recording and communication device according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 32-37 are screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI)illustrating aspects of another process for sharing video footage froman A/V recording and communication device according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 39 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 41 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 42 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 43 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system for sharingvideo footage from A/V recording and communication devices according tothe present embodiments;

FIG. 44 is a functional block diagram of a client device on which thepresent embodiments may be implemented according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 45 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of present disclosure; and

FIG. 46 is a screenshot of a graphical user interface (GUI) illustratingaspects of another process for sharing video footage from an A/Vrecording and communication device according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description describes the present embodimentswith reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numbers labelelements of the present embodiments. These reference numbers arereproduced below in connection with the discussion of the correspondingdrawing features.

The embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methods forsharing video footage from audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevices are described below with reference to the figures. Thesefigures, and their written descriptions, indicate that certaincomponents of the apparatus are formed integrally, and certain othercomponents are formed as separate pieces. Those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that components shown and described herein as beingformed integrally may in alternative embodiments be formed as separatepieces. Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate thatcomponents shown and described herein as being formed as separate piecesmay in alternative embodiments be formed integrally. Further, as usedherein the term integral describes a single unitary piece.

With reference to FIG. 1, the present embodiments include an audio/video(A/V) recording and communication device, such as a doorbell 100. Whilethe present disclosure provides numerous examples of methods and systemsincluding A/V recording and communication doorbells, the presentembodiments are equally applicable for A/V recording and communicationdevices other than doorbells. For example, the present embodiments mayinclude one or more A/V recording and communication security camerasinstead of, or in addition to, one or more A/V recording andcommunication doorbells. An example A/V recording and communicationsecurity camera may include substantially all of the structure andfunctionality of the doorbells described herein, but without the frontbutton and related components.

The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 may be located near theentrance to a structure (not shown), such as a dwelling, a business, astorage facility, etc. The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100includes a camera 102, a microphone 104, and a speaker 106. The camera102 may comprise, for example, a high definition (HD) video camera, suchas one capable of capturing video images at an image display resolutionof 720 p or better. While not shown, the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 may also include other hardware and/or components, such asa housing, one or more motion sensors (and/or other types of sensors), abutton, etc. The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 mayfurther include similar componentry and/or functionality as the wirelesscommunication doorbells described in US Patent Application PublicationNos. 2015/0022620 (application Ser. No. 14/499,828) and 2015/0022618(application Ser. No. 14/334,922), both of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entireties as if fully set forth.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 communicates with a user's network 110, which may be forexample a wired and/or wireless network. If the user's network 110 iswireless, or includes a wireless component, the network 110 may be aWi-Fi network compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard and/or otherwireless communication standard(s). The user's network 110 is connectedto another network 112, which may comprise, for example, the Internetand/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN). As described below,the A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 may communicate withthe user's client device 114 via the user's network 110 and the network112 (Internet/PSTN). The user's client device 114 may comprise, forexample, a mobile telephone (may also be referred to as a cellulartelephone), such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), oranother communication device. The user's client device 114 comprises adisplay (not shown) and related components capable of displayingstreaming and/or recorded video images. The user's client device 114 mayalso comprise a speaker and related components capable of broadcastingstreaming and/or recorded audio, and may also comprise a microphone. TheA/V recording and communication doorbell 100 may also communicate withone or more remote storage device(s) 116 (may be referred tointerchangeably as “cloud storage device(s)”), one or more servers 118,and/or a backend API (application programming interface) 120 via theuser's network 110 and the network 112 (Internet/PSTN). While FIG. 1illustrates the storage device 116, the server 118, and the backend API120 as components separate from the network 112, it is to be understoodthat the storage device 116, the server 118, and/or the backend API 120may be considered to be components of the network 112.

The network 112 may be any wireless network or any wired network, or acombination thereof, configured to operatively couple the abovementioned modules, devices, and systems as shown in FIG. 1. For example,the network 112 may include one or more of the following: a PSTN (publicswitched telephone network), the Internet, a local intranet, a PAN(Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide AreaNetwork), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a virtual private network(VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a frame relay connection, anAdvanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, a synchronous opticalnetwork (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a DigitalData Service (DDS) connection, a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34, or V.34bis analogmodem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) or CDDI(Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore,communications may also include links to any of a variety of wirelessnetworks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication),CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division MultipleAccess), FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), and/or OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) cellular phone networks,GPS, CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (Research in Motion,Limited) duplex paging network, Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-basedradio frequency network. The network can further include or interfacewith any one or more of the following: RS-232 serial connection,IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, Fibre Channel connection, IrDA(infrared) port, SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connection, USB(Universal Serial Bus) connection, or other wired or wireless, digitalor analog, interface or connection, mesh or Digi® networking.

According to one or more aspects of the present embodiments, when aperson (may be referred to interchangeably as “visitor”) arrives at theA/V recording and communication doorbell 100, the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 detects the visitor's presence and beginscapturing video images within a field of view of the camera 102. The A/Vrecording and communication doorbell 100 may also capture audio throughthe microphone 104. The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 maydetect the visitor's presence using a motion sensor, and/or by detectingthat the visitor has depressed the button on the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100.

In response to the detection of the visitor, the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 sends an alert to the user's client device114 (FIG. 1) via the user's network 110 and the network 112. The A/Vrecording and communication doorbell 100 also sends streaming video, andmay also send streaming audio, to the user's client device 114. If theuser answers the alert, two-way audio communication may then occurbetween the visitor and the user through the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 and the user's client device 114. The usermay view the visitor throughout the duration of the call, but thevisitor cannot see the user (unless the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 includes a display, which it may in some embodiments).

The video images captured by the camera 102 of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 (and the audio captured by the microphone104) may be uploaded to the cloud and recorded on the remote storagedevice 116 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the video and/or audio may berecorded on the remote storage device 116 even if the user chooses toignore the alert sent to his or her client device 114.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the system may further comprise abackend API 120 including one or more components. As discussed infurther detail below, a backend API (application programming interface)may comprise, for example, a server (e.g. a real server, or a virtualmachine, or a machine running in a cloud infrastructure as a service),or multiple servers networked together, exposing at least one API toclient(s) accessing it.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate a audio/video (A/V) communication doorbell 130according to an aspect of present embodiments. FIG. 2 is a front view,FIG. 3 is a rear view, and FIG. 4 is a left side view of the doorbell130 coupled with a mounting bracket 137. The doorbell 130 includes afaceplate 135 mounted to a back plate 139 (FIG. 3). With reference toFIG. 4, the faceplate 135 has a substantially flat profile. Thefaceplate 135 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metalalloys, or plastics. The faceplate 135 protects the internal contents ofthe doorbell 130 and serves as an exterior front surface of the doorbell130.

With reference to FIG. 2, the faceplate 135 includes a button 133 and alight pipe 136. The button 133 and the light pipe 136 may have variousprofiles that may or may not match the profile of the faceplate 135. Thelight pipe 136 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, transparent plastic, that is capable of allowing lightproduced within the doorbell 130 to pass through. The light may beproduced by one or more light-emitting components, such aslight-emitting diodes (LED's), contained within the doorbell 130, asfurther described below. The button 133 may make contact with a buttonactuator (not shown) located within the doorbell 130 when the button 133is pressed by a visitor. When pressed, the button 133 may trigger one ormore functions of the doorbell 130, as further described below.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the doorbell 130 further includes anenclosure 131 that engages the faceplate 135. In the illustratedembodiment, the enclosure 131 abuts an upper edge 135T (FIG. 2) of thefaceplate 135, but in alternative embodiments one or more gaps betweenthe enclosure 131 and the faceplate 135 may facilitate the passage ofsound and/or light through the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 maycomprise any suitable material, but in some embodiments the material ofthe enclosure 131 preferably permits infrared light to pass through frominside the doorbell 130 to the environment and vice versa. The doorbell130 further includes a lens 132. In some embodiments, the lens maycomprise a Fresnel lens, which may be patterned to deflect incominglight into one or more infrared sensors located within the doorbell 130.The doorbell 130 further includes a camera 134, which captures videodata when activated, as described below.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the doorbell 130, according to an aspect of thepresent embodiments. As illustrated, the enclosure 131 may extend fromthe front of the doorbell 130 around to the back thereof and may fitsnugly around a lip of the back plate 139. The back plate 139 maycomprise any suitable material, including, without limitation, metals,such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metal alloys, or plastics.The back plate 139 protects the internal contents of the doorbell 130and serves as an exterior rear surface of the doorbell 130. Thefaceplate 135 may extend from the front of the doorbell 130 and at leastpartially wrap around the back plate 139, thereby allowing a coupledconnection between the faceplate 135 and the back plate 139. The backplate 139 may have indentations in its structure to facilitate thecoupling.

With further reference to FIG. 3, spring contacts 140 may provide powerto the doorbell 130 when mated with other conductive contacts connectedto a power source. The spring contacts 140 may comprise any suitableconductive material, including, without limitation, copper, and may becapable of deflecting when contacted by an inward force, for example theinsertion of a mating element. The doorbell 130 further comprises aconnector 160, such as a micro-USB or other connector, whereby powerand/or data may be supplied to and from the components within thedoorbell 130. A reset button 159 may be located on the back plate 139,and may make contact with a button actuator (not shown) located withinthe doorbell 130 when the reset button 159 is pressed. When the resetbutton 159 is pressed, it may trigger one or more functions, asdescribed below.

FIG. 4 is a left side profile view of the doorbell 130 coupled to themounting bracket 137, according to an aspect of the present embodiments.The mounting bracket 137 facilitates mounting the doorbell 130 to asurface, such as the exterior of a building, such as a home or office.As illustrated in FIG. 4, the faceplate 135 may extend from the bottomof the doorbell 130 up to just below the camera 134, and connect to theback plate 139 as described above. The lens 132 may extend and curlpartially around the side of the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 mayextend and curl around the side and top of the doorbell 130, and may becoupled to the back plate 139 as described above. The camera 134 mayprotrude slightly through the enclosure 131, thereby giving it a widerfield of view. The mounting bracket 137 may couple with the back plate139 such that they contact each other at various points in a commonplane of contact, thereby creating an assembly including the doorbell130 and the mounting bracket 137. The couplings described in thisparagraph, and elsewhere, may be secured by, for example and withoutlimitation, screws, interference fittings, adhesives, or otherfasteners. Interference fittings may refer to a type of connection wherea material relies on pressure and/or gravity coupled with the material'sphysical strength to support a connection to a different element.

FIG. 5 is a right side cross-sectional view of the doorbell 130 withoutthe mounting bracket 137. In the illustrated embodiment, the lens 132 issubstantially coplanar with the front surface 131F of the enclosure 131.In alternative embodiments, the lens 132 may be recessed within theenclosure 131 or may protrude outward from the enclosure 131. The camera134 is coupled to a camera printed circuit board (PCB) 147, and a lens134 a of the camera 134 protrudes through an opening in the enclosure131. The camera lens 134 a may be a lens capable of focusing light intothe camera 134 so that clear images may be taken.

The camera PCB 147 may be secured within the doorbell with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.The camera PCB 147 comprises various components that enable thefunctionality of the camera 134 of the doorbell 130, as described below.Infrared light-emitting components, such as infrared LED's 168, arecoupled to the camera PCB 147 and may be triggered to activate when alight sensor detects a low level of ambient light. When activated, theinfrared LED's 168 may emit infrared light through the enclosure 131and/or the camera 134 out into the ambient environment. The camera 134,which may be configured to detect infrared light, may then capture thelight emitted by the infrared LED's 168 as it reflects off objectswithin the camera's 134 field of view, so that the doorbell 130 canclearly capture images at night (may be referred to as “night vision”).

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises afront PCB 146, which in the illustrated embodiment resides in a lowerportion of the doorbell 130 adjacent a battery 166. The front PCB 146may be secured within the doorbell 130 with any suitable fasteners, suchas screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The front PCB146 comprises various components that enable the functionality of theaudio and light components, as further described below. The battery 166may provide power to the doorbell 130 components while receiving powerfrom the spring contacts 140, thereby engaging in a trickle-chargemethod of power consumption and supply. Alternatively, the doorbell 130may draw power directly from the spring contacts 140 while relying onthe battery 166 only when the spring contacts 140 are not providing thepower necessary for all functions.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises apower PCB 148, which in the illustrated embodiment resides behind thecamera PCB 147. The power PCB 148 may be secured within the doorbell 130with any suitable fasteners, such as screws, or interferenceconnections, adhesives, etc. The power PCB 148 comprises variouscomponents that enable the functionality of the power and device-controlcomponents, as further described below.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises acommunication module 164 coupled to the power PCB 148. The communicationmodule 164 facilitates communication with client devices in one or moreremote locations, as further described below. The connector 160 mayprotrude outward from the power PCB 148 and extend through a hole in theback plate 139. The doorbell 130 further comprises passive infrared(PIR) sensors 144, which are secured on or within a PIR sensor holder143, and the assembly resides behind the lens 132. The PIR sensor holder143 may be secured to the doorbell 130 with any suitable fasteners, suchas screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The PIR sensors144 may be any type of sensor capable of detecting and communicating thepresence of a heat source within their field of view. Further,alternative embodiments may comprise one or more motion sensors eitherin place of or in addition to the PIR sensors 144. The motion sensorsmay be configured to detect motion using any methodology, such as amethodology that does not rely on detecting the presence of a heatsource within a field of view.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the doorbell 130 and the mounting bracket137 according to an aspect of the present embodiments. The mountingbracket 137 is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface (notshown) of a structure, such as a home or an office. FIG. 6 shows thefront side 137F of the mounting bracket 137. The mounting bracket 137 isconfigured to be mounted to the mounting surface such that the back side137B thereof faces the mounting surface. In certain embodiments themounting bracket 137 may be mounted to surfaces of various composition,including, without limitation, wood, concrete, stucco, brick, vinylsiding, aluminum siding, etc., with any suitable fasteners, such asscrews, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The doorbell 130may be coupled to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitable fasteners,such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, the illustrated embodiment of themounting bracket 137 includes the terminal screws 138. The terminalscrews 138 are configured to receive electrical wires adjacent themounting surface of the structure upon which the mounting bracket 137 ismounted, so that the doorbell 130 may receive electrical power from thestructure's electrical system. The terminal screws 138 are electricallyconnected to electrical contacts 177 of the mounting bracket. If poweris supplied to the terminal screws 138, then the electrical contacts 177also receive power through the terminal screws 138. The electricalcontacts 177 may comprise any suitable conductive material, including,without limitation, copper, and may protrude slightly from the face ofthe mounting bracket 137 so that they may mate with the spring contacts140 located on the back plate 139.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 (which is a rear view of the mountingbracket 137), the mounting bracket 137 further comprises a bracket PCB149. With reference to FIG. 7, the bracket PCB 149 is situated outsidethe doorbell 130, and is therefore configured for various sensors thatmeasure ambient conditions, such as an accelerometer 150, a barometer151, a humidity sensor 152, and a temperature sensor 153. The functionsof these components are discussed in more detail below. The bracket PCB149 may be secured to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the doorbell130. As described above, the enclosure 131 may extend from the frontface 131F of the doorbell 130 to the back, where it contacts and snuglysurrounds the back plate 139. The camera 134 may protrude slightlybeyond the front face 131F of the enclosure 131, thereby giving thecamera 134 a wider field of view. The mounting bracket 137 may include asubstantially flat rear surface 137R, such that the doorbell 130 and themounting bracket 137 assembly may sit flush against the surface to whichthey are mounted. With reference to FIG. 8B, the lower end of theenclosure 131 may include security screw apertures 141 configured toreceive screws or other fasteners.

FIG. 9A is a top view of the PIR sensor holder 143. The PIR sensorholder 143 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, metal alloys, or plastics. The PIR sensor holder 143is configured to mount the PIR sensors 144 behind the lens 132 such thatthe PIR sensors 144 face out through the lens 132 at varying angles,thereby creating a wide field of view for the PIR sensors 144, anddividing the field of view into zones, as further described below. Withfurther reference to FIG. 9A, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes one ormore faces 178 within or on which the PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes threefaces 178, with each of two outer faces 178 angled at 55° with respectto a center one of the faces 178. In alternative embodiments, the angleformed by adjacent ones of the faces 178 may be increased or decreasedas desired to alter the field of view of the PIR sensors 144.

FIG. 9B is a front view of the PIR sensor holder 143. In the illustratedembodiment, each of the faces 178 includes a through hole 180 in whichthe PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. First and second brackets 182,spaced from one another, extend transversely across the PIR sensorholder 143. Each of the brackets 182 includes notches 184 at either end.The brackets 182 may be used to secure the PIR sensor holder 143 withinthe doorbell 130. In alternative embodiments, the through holes 180 inthe faces 178 may be omitted. For example, the PIR sensors 144 may bemounted directly to the faces 178 without the through holes 180.Generally, the faces 178 may be comprise any structure configured tolocate and secure the PIR sensors 144 in place.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are top and front views, respectively, of a PIR sensorassembly 179, including the PIR sensor holder 143, the lens 132, and aflexible power circuit 145. The PIR sensor holder 143 may be secured toa rear face 132R of the lens 132, as shown, with the brackets 182abutting the rear face 132R of the lens 132. The flexible power circuit145, which may be any material or component capable of delivering powerand/or data to and from the PIR sensors 144, is secured to a rear face143R of the PIR sensor holder 143, and may be contoured to match theangular shape of the PIR sensor holder 143. The flexible power circuit145 may connect to, draw power from, and/or transmit data to and/orfrom, the power PCB 148 (FIG. 5).

FIG. 11 is a top view of the PIR sensor assembly 179 illustrating thefields of view of the PIR sensors 144. Each PIR sensor 144 includes afield of view, referred to as a “zone,” that traces an angle extendingoutward from the respective PIR sensor 144. Zone 1 is the area that isvisible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-1. Zone 2 is the area thatis visible only to the PIR sensors 144-1 and 144-2. Zone 3 is the areathat is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-2. Zone 4 is thearea that is visible only to the PIR sensors 144-2 and 144-3. Zone 5 isthe area that is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-3. Thedoorbell 130 may be capable of determining the direction that an objectis moving based upon which zones are triggered in a time sequence. Inthe illustrated embodiment, each zone extends across an angle of 110°.In alternative embodiments, each zone may extend across a differentangle, such as one greater than or less than 110°.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the components within or incommunication with the doorbell 130, according to an aspect of thepresent embodiments. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 maycomprise an accelerometer 150, a barometer 151, a humidity sensor 152,and a temperature sensor 153. The accelerometer 150 may be one or moresensors capable of sensing motion and/or acceleration. The barometer 151may be one or more sensors capable of determining the atmosphericpressure of the surrounding environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. The humidity sensor 152 may be one or more sensors capableof determining the amount of moisture present in the atmosphericenvironment in which the bracket PCB 149 may be located. The temperaturesensor 153 may be one or more sensors capable of determining thetemperature of the ambient environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 may be locatedoutside the housing of the doorbell 130 so as to reduce interferencefrom heat, pressure, moisture, and/or other stimuli generated by theinternal components of the doorbell 130.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the bracket PCB 149 may furthercomprise terminal screw inserts 154, which may be configured to receivethe terminal screws 138 and transmit power to the electrical contacts177 on the mounting bracket 137 (FIG. 6). The bracket PCB 149 may beelectrically and/or mechanically coupled to the power PCB 148 throughthe terminal screws 138, the terminal screw inserts 154, the springcontacts 140, and the electrical contacts 177. The terminal screws 138may receive electrical wires located at the surface to which thedoorbell 130 is mounted, such as the wall of a building, so that thedoorbell can receive electrical power from the building's electricalsystem. Upon the terminal screws 138 being secured within the terminalscrew inserts 154, power may be transferred to the bracket PCB 149, andto all of the components associated therewith, including the electricalcontacts 177. The electrical contacts 177 may transfer electrical powerto the power PCB 148 by mating with the spring contacts 140.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the front PCB 146 may comprise alight sensor 155, one or more light-emitting components, such as LED's156, one or more speakers 157, and a microphone 158. The light sensor155 may be one or more sensors capable of detecting the level of ambientlight of the surrounding environment in which the doorbell 130 may belocated. LED's 156 may be one or more light-emitting diodes capable ofproducing visible light when supplied with power. The speakers 157 maybe any electromechanical device capable of producing sound in responseto an electrical signal input. The microphone 158 may be anacoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor capable of converting soundwaves into an electrical signal. When activated, the LED's 156 mayilluminate the light pipe 136 (FIG. 2). The front PCB 146 and allcomponents thereof may be electrically coupled to the power PCB 148,thereby allowing data and/or power to be transferred to and from thepower PCB 148 and the front PCB 146.

The speakers 157 and the microphone 158 may be coupled to the cameraprocessor 170 through an audio CODEC 161. For example, the transfer ofdigital audio from the user's client device 114 and the speakers 157 andthe microphone 158 may be compressed and decompressed using the audioCODEC 161, coupled to the camera processor 170. Once compressed by audioCODEC 161, digital audio data may be sent through the communicationmodule 164 to the network 112, routed by one or more servers 118, anddelivered to the user's client device 114. When the user speaks, afterbeing transferred through the network 112, digital audio data isdecompressed by audio CODEC 161 and emitted to the visitor via thespeakers 157.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the power PCB 148 may comprise apower management module 162, a microcontroller 163, the communicationmodule 164, and power PCB non-volatile memory 165. In certainembodiments, the power management module 162 may comprise an integratedcircuit capable of arbitrating between multiple voltage rails, therebyselecting the source of power for the doorbell 130. The battery 166, thespring contacts 140, and/or the connector 160 may each provide power tothe power management module 162. The power management module 162 mayhave separate power rails dedicated to the battery 166, the springcontacts 140, and the connector 160. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the power management module 162 may continuously draw powerfrom the battery 166 to power the doorbell 130, while at the same timerouting power from the spring contacts 140 and/or the connector 160 tothe battery 166, thereby allowing the battery 166 to maintain asubstantially constant level of charge. Alternatively, the powermanagement module 162 may continuously draw power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 to power the doorbell 130, whileonly drawing from the battery 166 when the power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 is low or insufficient. The powermanagement module 162 may also serve as a conduit for data between theconnector 160 and the microcontroller 163.

With further reference to FIG. 12, in certain embodiments themicrocontroller 163 may comprise an integrated circuit including aprocessor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Themicrocontroller 163 may receive input signals, such as data and/orpower, from the PIR sensors 144, the bracket PCB 149, the powermanagement module 162, the light sensor 155, the microphone 158, and/orthe communication module 164, and may perform various functions asfurther described below. When the microcontroller 163 is triggered bythe PIR sensors 144, the microcontroller 163 may be triggered to performone or more functions, such as those described below with reference toFIG. 14. When the light sensor 155 detects a low level of ambient light,the light sensor 155 may trigger the microcontroller 163 to enable“night vision,” as further described below. The microcontroller 163 mayalso act as a conduit for data communicated between various componentsand the communication module 164.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the communication module 164 maycomprise an integrated circuit including a processor core, memory, andprogrammable input/output peripherals. The communication module 164 mayalso be configured to transmit data wirelessly to a remote networkdevice, and may include one or more transceivers (not shown). Thewireless communication may comprise one or more wireless networks, suchas, without limitation, Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, and/or satellitenetworks. The communication module 164 may receive inputs, such as powerand/or data, from the camera PCB 147, the microcontroller 163, thebutton 133, the reset button 159, and/or the power PCB non-volatilememory 165. When the button 133 is pressed, the communication module 164may be triggered to perform one or more functions, such as thosedescribed below with reference to FIG. 13. When the reset button 159 ispressed, the communication module 164 may be triggered to erase any datastored at the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 and/or at the camera PCBmemory 169. The communication module 164 may also act as a conduit fordata communicated between various components and the microcontroller163. The power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise flash memoryconfigured to store and/or transmit data. For example, in certainembodiments the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise serialperipheral interface (SPI) flash memory.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the camera PCB 147 may comprisecomponents that facilitate the operation of the camera 134. For example,an imager 171 may comprise a video recording sensor and/or a camerachip. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the imager 171 maycomprise a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) array, and maybe capable of recording high definition (720 p or better) video files. Acamera processor 170 may comprise an encoding and compression chip. Insome embodiments, the camera processor 170 may comprise a bridgeprocessor. The camera processor 170 may process video recorded by theimager 171 and audio recorded by the microphone 158, and may transformthis data into a form suitable for wireless transfer by thecommunication module 164 to a network. The camera PCB memory 169 maycomprise volatile memory that may be used when data is being buffered orencoded by the camera processor 170. For example, in certain embodimentsthe camera PCB memory 169 may comprise synchronous dynamic random accessmemory (SD RAM). IR LED's 168 may comprise light-emitting diodes capableof radiating infrared light. IR cut filter 167 may comprise a systemthat, when triggered, configures the imager 171 to see primarilyinfrared light as opposed to visible light. When the light sensor 155detects a low level of ambient light (which may comprise a level thatimpedes the performance of the imager 171 in the visible spectrum), theIR LED's 168 may shine infrared light through the doorbell 130 enclosureout to the environment, and the IR cut filter 167 may enable the imager171 to see this infrared light as it is reflected or refracted off ofobjects within the field of view of the doorbell. This process mayprovide the doorbell 130 with the “night vision” function mentionedabove.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B200, avisitor presses the button 133 on the doorbell 130. At block B202, thecommunication module 164 sends a request to a network device. Once thenetwork device receives the request, at block B204 the network devicemay connect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. In block B206, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other sensor available. At block B208, theaudio and/or video data is transmitted to the user's client device 114.At block B210, the user may receive a notification on his or her clientdevice 114 prompting him or her to either accept or deny. If the userdenies the notification, then the process advances to block B214, wherethe audio and/or video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server.The session then ends at block B216 and the connection between thedoorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminated. If,however, the user elects to accept the notification, then at block B212the user communicates with the visitor through the user's client device114 while being provided audio and/or video data captured by the camera134, the microphone 158, and/or other sensors. At the end of the call,the user may terminate the connection between the user's client device114 and the doorbell 130 and the session ends at block B216. In someembodiments, the audio and/or video data may be recorded and stored at acloud server even if the user accepts the notification and communicateswith the visitor through the user's client device 114.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B300, anobject may move into the field of view of one or more of the PIR sensors144. At block B302, the PIR sensors 144 may trigger the microcontroller163, which may then trigger the communication module 164 to send arequest to a network device. At block B304, the network device mayconnect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. At block B306, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other available sensor, and stream the datato the user's client device 114. At block B308, the user may receive anotification prompting the user to either accept or deny thenotification. If the notification is accepted, then at block B310 a thelive audio/video data may be displayed on the user's client device 114,thereby allowing the user surveillance from the perspective of thedoorbell 130. When the user is satisfied with this function, the usermay sever the connection at block B312, whereby the session ends. If,however, at block B308 the user denies the notification, or ignores thenotification and a specified time interval elapses, then the connectionbetween the doorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminatedand the audio/video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server atblock B310 b, such that the user may view the audio/video data later attheir convenience. The doorbell 130 may be configured to record for aspecified period of time in the event the notification in block B308 isdenied or ignored. If such a time period is set, the doorbell 130 mayrecord data for that period of time before ceasing operation at blockB312 thereby ending the session.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B400, theuser may select a “snooze time-out,” which is a time period during whichthe doorbell 130 may deactivate or otherwise not respond to stimuli(such as light, sound, or heat signatures) after an operation isperformed, e.g. a notification is either accepted or denied/ignored. Forexample, the user may set a snooze time-out of 15 minutes. At blockB402, an object moves into the field of view of one or more of the PIRsensors 144. At block B404, the microcontroller 163 may trigger thecommunication module 164 to send a request to a network device. In blockB406, the network device may connect the doorbell 130 to the user'sclient device 114 through the user's network 110 and the network 112. Atblock B408, audio/video data captured by the doorbell 130 may bestreamed to the user's client device 114. At block B410, the user mayreceive a notification prompting the user to either accept ordeny/ignore the request. If the request is denied or ignored, then atblock B412 b audio/video data may be recorded and stored at a cloudserver. After the doorbell 130 finishes recording, the objects mayremain in the PIR sensor 144 field of view at block B414. In block B416,the microcontroller 163 waits for the “snooze time” to elapse, e.g. 15minutes, before triggering the communication module 164 to submitanother request to the network device. After the snooze time, e.g. 15minutes, elapses, the process moves back to block B404 and progresses asdescribed above. The cycle may continue like this until the user acceptsthe notification request at block B410. The process then moves to blockB412 a, where live audio and/or video data is displayed on the user'sclient device 114, thereby allowing the user surveillance from theperspective of the doorbell 130. At the user's request, the connectionmay be severed and the session ends at block B418. At this point theuser may elect for the process to revert back to block B416, wherebythere may be no further response until the snooze time, e.g. 15 minutes,has elapsed from the end of the previous session, or the user may electfor the process to return to block B402 and receive a notification thenext time an object is perceived by one or more of the PIR sensors 144.

As discussed above, the present disclosure provides numerous examples ofmethods and systems including A/V recording and communication doorbells,but the present embodiments are equally applicable for A/V recording andcommunication devices other than doorbells. For example, the presentembodiments may include one or more A/V recording and communicationsecurity cameras instead of, or in addition to, one or more A/Vrecording and communication doorbells. An example A/V recording andcommunication security camera may include substantially all of thestructure and functionality of the doorbell 130, but without the frontbutton 133, the button actuator, and/or the light pipe 136. An exampleA/V recording and communication security camera may further omit othercomponents, such as, for example, the bracket PCB 149 and itscomponents.

As described above, one aspect of the present embodiments includes therealization that users of audio/video (AN) recording and communicationdevices may from time to time desire to share video footage recorded bytheir devices. For example, when an A/V recording and communicationdevice records video footage of suspicious activity, or even criminalactivity, a user viewing the footage may desire to alert his or herneighbors to the possible danger posed by the person(s) involved in thesuspicious or criminal activity. It would be advantageous, then, toenhance the functionality of A/V recording and communication devices byfacilitating easy sharing of video footage recorded by such devices withone's neighbors. In another example, an A/V recording and communicationdevice may record video footage of activity that may be of interest tothe user's friends and family (e.g., images of children playing in theyard). It would be advantageous, then, to enhance the functionality ofA/V recording and communication devices by facilitating easy sharing ofvideo footage recorded by such devices with one's friends and family.The present embodiments, as described in detail below, provide these,and other, enhancements. In particular, the present embodiments enablevideo footage captured by A/V recording and communication devices to bereadily uploaded to the cloud and shared with anyone of the user'schoosing, including neighbors, friends, and family.

FIG. 16 illustrates a system 500 for sharing video footage from A/Vrecording and communication devices according to the presentembodiments. The illustrated system 500 includes a first A/V recordingand communication doorbell 502 (labeled “A/V Doorbell #1”). The firstA/V doorbell 502 may have, for example, similar components and/orfunctionality as the doorbell 130 described herein. Alternatively, thefirst A/V doorbell 502 may have different components and/orfunctionality as the doorbell 130, but may nevertheless be capable ofrecording video footage and/or audio and wirelessly transmitting therecorded video footage and/or audio. In certain embodiments, the firstA/V doorbell 502 may not be a doorbell at all, but may be, for example,an A/V recording and communication security camera.

With further reference to FIG. 16, the system 500 further includes afirst client device 504 (labeled “Client Device #1”) associated with thefirst A/V doorbell 502. The first client device 504 and the first A/Vdoorbell 502 may be owned by and/or controlled by the same user. Thefirst client device 504 may have, for example, similar components and/orfunctionality as the user's client device 114 described herein, and maycomprise, for example, a mobile telephone (may also be referred to as acellular telephone), such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), or another communication device. The system 500 further includesa network 506. The network 506, which may comprise, for example, theInternet and/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN), includes aplurality of network devices, such as one or more servers, routers,switches, storage devices, etc. (not shown). The system 500 furtherincludes a plurality of other A/V doorbells 508, 510 (labeled “A/VDoorbell #2” through “A/V Doorbell #N”) and a plurality of other clientdevices 512, 514 (labeled “Client Device #2” through “Client Device#N”). The other client devices 512, 514 are each associated with acorresponding one of the other A/V doorbells 508, 510. The other A/Vdoorbells 508, 510 may have, for example, similar components and/orfunctionality as the first A/V doorbell 502, and the other clientdevices 512, 514 may have, for example, similar components and/orfunctionality as the first client device 504.

In the system 500 of FIG. 16, any of the A/V doorbells may record videofootage from an area within a field of view of the respective doorbell.The owner (or a user) of the doorbell that has recorded video footagemay share the video footage with one or more other owners/users of theother A/V doorbells. The determination of which users will receive anotification of the shared video footage may be based on the relativelocations of the A/V doorbells associated with the different users. Moreparticularly, a given user (USER X) may receive a notification of theshared video footage if the shared video footage was recorded by one ofthe A/V doorbells that is located within a predetermined distance ofUSER X's own A/V doorbell. Further, in certain embodiments thepredetermined distance may be configurable by USER X. Example processesfor such sharing of recorded video footage are described below withreference to FIGS. 17-19.

FIG. 17 illustrates a neighborhood 516 comprising a plurality ofbuildings 518, such as homes, offices, retail businesses, warehouses,etc. At least some of the buildings 518 include A/V recording andcommunication doorbells secured to an exterior surface, such as adjacentthe front door. For example, FIG. 17 illustrates three A/V doorbells(A/V Doorbell #1 520, A/V Doorbell #2 522, A/V Doorbell #3 524)associated with three different buildings. Each of the A/V doorbells520, 522, 524 has a defined area around it represented by the threeoverlapping circles (Area #1 526, Area #2 528, Area #3 530). Each circle526, 528, 530 represents the area from which the owner/user of the A/Vdoorbell at the center of the circle will receive notifications ofshared video footage recorded by other A/V doorbells within the area.

For example, if A/V Doorbell #1 520 records video footage and theowner/user of A/V Doorbell #1 520 shares the recorded video footage,then the owner/user of A/V Doorbell #3 524 will receive a notificationof the shared video footage because A/V Doorbell #1 520 is locatedwithin Area #3 530, but the owner/user of A/V Doorbell #2 522 will notreceive a notification of the shared video footage because A/V Doorbell#1 520 is located outside of Area #2 528. In another example, if A/VDoorbell #2 522 records video footage and the owner/user of A/V Doorbell#2 522 shares the recorded video footage, then the owners/users of A/VDoorbells 1 and 3 will both receive a notification of the shared videofootage because A/V Doorbell #2 522 is located within both Area #1 526and Area #3 530. In another example, if A/V Doorbell #3524 records videofootage and the owner/user of A/V Doorbell #3 524 shares the recordedvideo footage, then neither of the owners/users of A/V Doorbells 1 and 2will receive a notification of the shared video footage because A/VDoorbell #3 524 is located outside of both Area #1 526 and Area #2 528.The determinations of which owners/users will receive sharenotifications, and which owners/users will not receive sharenotifications, are summarized in the table at the bottom of FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell (or other A/Vrecording and communication device) according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure. An A/V doorbell 520 (A/V Doorbell #1, FIGS. 17 and18) may record video footage, which may also include audio. For example,the doorbell 520 may begin recording the video footage when a visitor isdetected at the doorbell 520, which may occur, for example, when thedoorbell 520 detects motion or when the visitor presses the front buttonon the doorbell 520. With further reference to FIG. 18, the doorbell 520sends a first alert signal and a first video signal 540 to the network542, and the network 542 receives the first alert signal and the firstvideo signal 540. The network 542 includes one or more network devices,such as, for example, one or more servers, routers, switches, storagedevices, etc. (not shown). At least some of the network devices includea processor and a memory. The first video signal includes images (thevideo footage) captured by a camera of the doorbell 520.

The network 542 transmits to a first client device 544 (User's ClientDevice #1), in response to receiving the first alert signal and thefirst video signal 540, a second alert signal and a second video signal546. The second alert signal may be, for example, a push notification. Apush notification, also called a server push notification, is thedelivery of information from a software application to a computingdevice without a specific request from the client. The second videosignal includes the images captured by the camera of the doorbell 520.The user associated with the first client device 544 may be theowner/user of the doorbell 520 (A/V Doorbell #1). The user, uponreceiving the second alert signal, may choose to answer the second alertsignal, which may, for example, open a live call between the user andthe visitor at the doorbell 520. Alternatively, the user may ignore thesecond alert signal (e.g. choose not to answer the call). If the userignores the second alert signal, he or she may still view the videofootage of the second video signal at a later time.

After viewing (or while viewing) the video footage on the display of hisor her client device 544, the user may decide to share the video footagewith other users. For example, the user may tap a “share” button fromwithin an application executing on his or her client device 544. Thefirst client device 544 then sends a share signal 548 to the network542, and the network 542 receives the share signal 548 from the firstclient device 544. In response to receiving the share signal 548 fromthe first client device 544, at least one of the network devices in thenetwork 542 determines the other users who are to receive a notificationof the shared video footage. For example, the network device(s) maydetermine that the doorbell 520 that recorded the shared video footageis within a predefined distance from at least one other A/V recordingand communication doorbell (or other A/V recording and communicationdevice) from among a plurality of other A/V recording and communicationdoorbells (or other A/V recording and communication devices). Forexample, with reference to FIG. 17, if the doorbell that recorded theshared video footage is A/V Doorbell #1 520, then the network device(s)may identify at least one other doorbell, such as A/V Doorbell #3 524,having a defined area (Area #3 530) around it that encompasses thelocation of the doorbell 520 that recorded the shared video footage.Once the other doorbell(s) has/have been identified, the networkdevice(s) may transmit a share notification signal 550 to each clientdevice associated with the other doorbell(s) identified (including atleast User's Client Device #3 552). The share notification signal 550may be, for example, a push notification. The other user(s), uponreceiving the share notification signal 550, may choose to view theshared video footage. Alternatively, the other user(s) may ignore theshare notification signal 550. If the other user(s) ignores the sharenotification signal 550, he or she may still view the shared videofootage at a later time.

The process described above with reference to FIG. 18 advantageouslyenables users of A/V recording and communication devices to share videofootage with one another. This feature can help reduce crime byincreasing public awareness of suspicious activity. For example, a firstuser may view video footage that was recorded by his or her doorbell anddetermine that the person or persons in the video footage are, or maybe, engaged in criminal activity. The first user may then share thatvideo footage with other users who, after viewing the shared videofootage, may be alerted to be on the lookout for the person or personsin the shared video footage and, if one or more such other users observethe person or persons in the shared video footage engaged in furthersuspicious activity, they may be more likely to report the person orpersons to law enforcement.

In the process of FIG. 18, as well as in other processes describedherein, a determination is made as to which other users will receive anotification of the video footage that is shared by the first user. Thisdetermination is based on the relative locations of the A/V recordingand communication devices associated with each of the users. And, asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 17, whether or not a given user(User X) will receive a share notification is dependent upon thedistance (alert radius) set by User X with respect to his or her own A/Vrecording and communication device(s). If the device that recorded theshared video is located within the area(s) defined by User X around hisor her own A/V recording and communication device(s), then User X willreceive a share notification. If the device that recorded the sharedvideo is located outside the area(s) defined by User X around his or herown A/V recording and communication device(s), then User X will notreceive a share notification. Thus, the determination of which userswill receive a share notification is not dependent upon an alert radiusset by the owner/user of the A/V recording and communication device thatrecorded the shared video. Rather, that determination is based on thealert radii set by the owners/users of the A/V recording andcommunication devices other than the device that recorded the sharedvideo, and many of these alert radii may differ from one another. Thatis, User X₁ may set an alert radius of one-half mile around his or herdoorbell while User X₂ may set an alert radius of three miles around hisor her doorbell. If the device that recorded the shared video is withinone-half mile of User X₁'s doorbell, then User X₁ will receive a sharenotification, and if the device that recorded the shared video is withinthree miles of User X₂'s doorbell, then User X₂ will receive a sharenotification.

Further, in some instances a first user may not receive a sharenotification while a second user may receive a share notification, eventhough the first user's doorbell is located closer to the doorbell thatrecorded the shared video than the second user's doorbell is. Forexample, again assume that User X₂has set an alert radius of one-halfmile around his or her doorbell while User X₂ has set an alert radius ofthree miles around his or her doorbell. If User X₁'s doorbell is onemile away from the doorbell that recorded the shared video and User X₂'sdoorbell is two miles away from the doorbell that recorded the sharedvideo, then User X₁ will not receive a share notification because thedoorbell that recorded the shared video is outside User X₁'s alertradius, but User X₂ will receive a share notification because thedoorbell that recorded the shared video is inside User X₂'s alertradius.

Still further, a given user may have more than one A/V recording andcommunication device, and at least two of those devices may be indifferent locations (e.g. not on the same property or attached to thesame structure). In such cases, each device may have its own alertradius, and therefore its own defined distance/area for receiving sharenotifications. Thus, a user may receive a share notification when thedevice that recorded the shared video is within the defined area aroundat least one of that user's devices, even if the device that recordedthe shared video is outside the defined area around at least one otherof that same user's devices.

In some embodiments, a user may have more than one A/V recording andcommunication device at the same location (e.g. attached to the samestructure, or attached to separate structures that are located on thesame property). In such cases, devices that are proximate one anothermay share an alert area. For example, a user may have an A/V recordingand communication doorbell located near his or her front door and an A/Vrecording and communication security camera located at the rear of hisor her home. These devices may share one alert radius/alert area.

Still further, users may adjust as desired the size of the definedarea(s) around their A/V recording and communication device(s).Information about each A/V recording and communication device in a givenset of A/V recording and communication devices may be stored in one ormore data structures and accessed when needed to determine which userswill receive a share notification whenever a first user shares recordedvideo footage. When a user adjusts the size of the defined area(s)around his or her A/V recording and communication device(s), theinformation stored in the data structure(s) may be updated accordingly.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell (or other A/Vrecording and communication device) according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure. The process of FIG. 19 is described from theperspective of the network device(s). Thus, at block B560 the networkdevice(s) receive a first alert signal and a first video signal from afirst A/V doorbell. At block B562, the network device(s) transmit asecond alert signal and a second video signal to the first clientdevice. At block B564, the network device(s) receive a share signal fromthe first client device. At block B566, the network device(s) determineat least one second A/V doorbell within at least one predefined distancefrom the first A/V doorbell. At block B568, the network device(s)transmit a share notification signal to the at least one second clientdevice corresponding to the at least one determined second A/V doorbell.

FIGS. 20-24 are screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI) 570illustrating aspects of a process for sharing video footage from an A/Vrecording and communication device according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure. The process of FIGS. 20-24 is described from the perspectiveof a user who receives an alert signal and a video signal on his or herclient device. Thus, the GUI 570 illustrated in FIGS. 20-24 isconfigured to be displayed on a display of the user's client device,such as a smartphone.

With reference to FIG. 20, a live call screen 572 is illustrated. When auser's A/V recording and communication device detects motion, or, in thecase of a doorbell, when a visitor presses the front button on thedoorbell, the user receives an alert on his or her client device alongwith streaming video footage recorded by the camera of the A/V recordingand communication device. If the user answers the alert, a live callscreen 572 such as that shown in FIG. 20 may be displayed on the user'sclient device. The live call screen 572 may include one or more buttons,such as an END button 574 (to terminate or disconnect the call), avolume adjust button 576, a mute button 578, a full screen button 580(to expand the video so that it fills the entire display screen), and/ora menu button 582.

The live call screen 572 may further include a neighborhood share button584. If the user selects the neighborhood share button 584 during thelive call, the GUI 570 may display a notification 586 that the user willbe prompted after the live call to share the video of the call withother users in the user's “neighborhood,” e.g. those users determinedaccording to the process described above with reference to FIGS. 18 and19. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the notification 586 may appear ina banner portion 588 of the live call screen 572. Advantageously,displaying the notification 586 in a banner 588 does not interrupt thelive call, so that the user and the visitor can continue speaking to oneanother for as long as desired.

If the user selects the neighborhood share button 584 during the livecall, then after the call is terminated, such as when the user selectsthe END button 574 on the live call screen 572 (FIG. 20), a shareinformation screen 590 may be shown on the GUI 570, as shown in FIG. 22.In the illustrated embodiment, the share information screen 590 includesa still image 592 from the video that was recorded during the live call,and textual information 594. For example, the text 594 may include aphrase such as “Alert your neighborhood,” which informs (or reminds) theuser that he or she is about to share the recorded video footage withone or more other users. The text 594 may further include a notice thatthe video footage will be shared along with a general indication ofwhere the video was recorded. For example, the location information mayidentify the street name and block number, such as “1300 block of14^(th) Street,” and/or may identify the nearest intersection, such as“Near the intersection of 14^(th) Street and Santa Monica Boulevard.” Anicon 596, such as a question mark, may also be displayed. If the userselects the question mark icon 596, further information about the sharefeature may be displayed, and/or a help menu may be displayed.

The share information screen 590 may further include a text entry box598. If the user selects the text entry box 598, such as by tapping onit if the user's client device includes a touchscreen display, akeyboard 600 may appear on the display, as shown in FIG. 23. The usermay then enter text to describe the content of the shared video. Afterentering text, the user may select a SHARE button 602, after which theshare signal (FIG. 18) is sent to the network and the network identifiesone or more other users who will be notified of the shared video andsends out notifications to the identified other users. The share signalmay include, or be accompanied by, the text entered by the user in thetext entry box 598 of the GUI 570 shown in FIG. 23. The user may alsodecline to enter any text in the text entry box 598, and may insteadsimply select the SHARE button 602 from the share information screen 590of FIG. 22, after which the share signal (FIG. 18) is sent to thenetwork and the network identifies one or more other users who will benotified of the shared video and sends out notifications to theidentified other users.

After the user selects the SHARE button 602, with or without enteringtext in the text entry box 598, a confirmation screen 604 may bedisplayed on the display of the user's client device, as shown in FIG.24. The confirmation screen 604 may include text 606, such as a messageconfirming that the video has been shared (“Your video has been shared”)and/or a thank you message (“Thanks for helping to keep yourneighborhood safe.”). The confirmation screen 604 may further include abutton, such as an OK button 608, which, when selected, may return theuser to another screen, such as a menu screen, of the applicationexecuting on the user's client device. With reference to FIGS. 22-24,the share information screen 590 (FIG. 22), the text entry screen 610(FIG. 23), and/or the confirmation screen 604 (FIG. 24) may include aclose button 612 (the “X” in the upper right-hand corner). If the userselects the close button 612, the share operation may be terminatedwithout sharing the video footage from the live call. Further, if theuser selects the close button 612, a popup window (not shown) may beshown on the display asking the user to confirm that the share operationis to be terminated.

FIGS. 25-29 are screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI) 620illustrating aspects of another process for sharing video footage froman A/V recording and communication device according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure. The process of FIGS. 25-29 is described from theperspective of a user who views an earlier-recorded video on his or herclient device. Thus, the GUI 620 illustrated in FIGS. 25-29 isconfigured to be displayed on a display of the user's client device,such as a smartphone. In this embodiment, the video displayed on theuser's client device is not a live call, but rather is a recording of avisitor event that took place earlier in time. The recording may be,however, a recording of an earlier live call between the user and thevisitor.

With reference to FIG. 25, a video playback screen 622 is illustrated.When a user's A/V recording and communication device detects motion, or,in the case of a doorbell, when a visitor presses the front button onthe doorbell, the user receives an alert on his or her client devicealong with streaming video footage recorded by the camera of the A/Vrecording and communication device. If the user ignores the alert, themotion event or button press event may nevertheless be recorded andstored at a remote network device. When the user later accesses thestored video footage, the video may be displayed on the video playbackscreen 622 on the user's client device, as shown in FIG. 25.Alternatively, if the user answers the alert and communicates with thevisitor but does not share the video from within the live call (asdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 20-24), the user may still viewthe recorded video footage by accessing it from a menu, as describedbelow.

With further reference to FIG. 25, the video playback screen 622 mayinclude one or more buttons or controls, such as a volume adjustmentslider widget 624, a rewind button 626, a play button 628, a fastforward button 630, a delete button 632, and/or a share button 634. Ifthe user selects the share button 634, a popup menu (not shown) may beshown on the display offering the user one or more options for sharingthe video with his or her contacts and/or via social media. For example,the popup menu (or any other suitable type of interface) may includeoptions for sharing the video via e-mail, via text message, and/or viasocial media, such as on NEXTDOOR®, FACEBOOK®, INSTAGRAM®, TWITTER®,etc. When the user selects one of the options, a new message (or post,etc.) may then be created including a link to the video to be shared.For example, if the user selects a social media network through which toshare the video, the process may create a social media post with a linkto the video to be shared. Posting the video to one or more socialnetworks may enable the video to be seen by others, including others wholive in the neighborhood where the video was recorded. Those persons mayrecognize a person in the video, and may be able to help identify thatperson. Further, the social network post may provide a warning to otherswho live in the neighborhood where the video was recorded, encouragingthose people to be watchful for the person(s) in the video.

While the present embodiments are not limited to use with any particularsocial network, or type of social network, the present embodiments maynevertheless be well adapted for use with a neighborhood-oriented socialnetwork, such as NEXTDOOR®. Neighborhood-oriented social networks allowusers to connect with people who live in their neighborhood, and/or innearby neighborhoods, by limiting access to posts to the people in thesame neighborhood as the poster, or those nearby. As described above, insome aspects the present embodiments enable a user to share a video to asocial network. When the video is posted to a social networking servicefor neighborhoods, the video is more likely to be seen by people wholive in the neighborhood where the video was recorded. The video is thusmore likely to be relevant to the people in the neighborhood-orientedsocial network, because those people are more likely to have also seenthe person(s) in the video. The neighborhood-oriented social networkmembers may therefore be able to provide additional information aboutthe person(s) in the video, such as confirming that they too have seenthe person(s) in the neighborhood and/or helping to identify theperson(s) in the video. If the person(s) in the video has committedcriminal acts in the neighborhood, identifying the person(s) may helplead to their capture and conviction.

With further reference to FIG. 25, the video playback screen 622 mayfurther include a progress bar 636 and a slider widget 638 thatindicates what portion of the video is currently playing. For example, atimer 640 at a first end 642 of the progress bar 636 indicates how muchof the video has elapsed, and a timer 644 at a second end 646 of theprogress bar 636 indicates how much of the video is left to play. As thevideo plays, the progress slider widget 638 moves from the first end 642to the second end 646 of the progress bar 636. If the user wants to jumpto a particular portion of the video, he or she may move the sliderwidget 638 left or right by selecting it, sliding it along the progressbar 636, and releasing it. The video playback screen 622 may furtherinclude a Done button 648, which, when selected, closes the video andreturns the user to a previous screen within the application executingon the user's client device.

With further reference to FIG. 25, the video playback screen 622 mayfurther include a neighborhood share button 584. If the user selects theneighborhood share button 584, the GUI 620 may display textualinformation 594, as shown in FIG. 26. For example, the text 594 mayinclude a phrase such as “Alert your neighborhood,” which informs (orreminds) the user that he or she is about to share the recorded videofootage with one or more other users. The text 594 may further include anotice that the video footage will be shared along with a generalindication of where the video was recorded. For example, the locationinformation may identify the street name and block number, such as “1300block of 14^(th) Street,” and/or may identify the nearest intersection,such as “Near the intersection of 14^(th) Street and Santa MonicaBoulevard.” An icon 596, such as a question mark, may also be displayed.If the user selects the question mark icon 596, further informationabout the share feature may be displayed, and/or a help menu may bedisplayed.

The GUI 620 of FIG. 26 may further include a text entry box 598. If theuser selects the text entry box 598, such as by tapping on it if theuser's client device includes a touchscreen display, a keyboard 600 mayappear on the display, as shown in FIG. 27. The user may then enter textto describe the content of the shared video. After entering text, theuser may select a SHARE button 602, after which the share signal (FIG.18) is sent to the network and the network identifies one or more otherusers who will be notified of the shared video and sends outnotifications to the identified other users. The share signal mayinclude, or be accompanied by, the text entered by the user in the textentry box 598 of the GUI 620 shown in FIG. 27. The user may also declineto enter any text in the text entry box 598, and may instead simplyselect the SHARE button 602 from the share screen 650 of FIG. 26, afterwhich the share signal (FIG. 18) is sent to the network and the networkidentifies one or more other users who will be notified of the sharedvideo and sends out notifications to the identified other users.

After the user selects the SHARE button 602, with or without enteringtext in the text entry box 598, a confirmation message 652 may bedisplayed on the GUI 620 of the user's client device, as shown in FIG.28. The confirmation message 652 may include text, such as a messageconfirming that the video has been shared (“Your video has been postedand your neighborhood has been alerted.”). With reference to FIG. 29, apopup message 654 may also be shown asking the user if he or she wouldlike to “unshare” the video. The popup message 654 may include text 656such as “You have already shared this video with your Neighborhood.” andone or more buttons, such as a CANCEL button 658 and/or a YES (or OK)button 660. If the user selects the YES button 660, the shared video maybe “unshared,” whereas if the user selects the CANCEL button 658, theshared video will not be “unshared.” With reference to FIGS. 26-28, theGUI 620 may include a close button 612 (the “X” in the upper right-handcorner). If the user selects the close button 612, the share operationmay be terminated without sharing the video footage. Further, if theuser selects the close button 612, a popup window (not shown) may beshown on the display asking the user to confirm that the share operationis to be terminated.

In some embodiments, video footage recorded by a user's A/V recordingand communication device may not be stored at a remote network device ona long-term basis. In such embodiments, the user may still share videofootage from his or her A/V recording and communication device withother users, but only from a live call, such as according to the processdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 20-24 (and not from a videoplayback process, such as that described above with reference to FIGS.25-29). To enable this aspect, all video recorded by the user's A/Vrecording and communication device may be temporarily stored at a remotenetwork device so that it is available for sharing if the user sharesthe video footage from the live call. For example, the video may betemporarily stored at a remote network device as long as the live callis in progress, but if the live call terminates without the userselecting the neighborhood share button 584 (FIG. 20), the video thatwas temporarily stored at the remote network device may then be deleted.

FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure. The process of FIG. 30 includesaspects of the process of FIG. 18, including the doorbell 520 sending afirst alert signal and a first video signal 540 to the network (and thenetwork receives the first alert signal and the first video signal 540),the network 542 transmitting to a first client device (User's ClientDevice #1), in response to receiving the first alert signal and thefirst video signal, a second alert signal and a second video signal 546,the first client device 544 sending a share signal 548 to the network(and the network receiving the share signal 548 from the first clientdevice), and the network device(s) 542 transmitting a share notificationsignal 550 to each client device associated with the other doorbell(s)identified (including at least User's Client Device #3 552).

The process of FIG. 30 further comprises the third client device 552sending a playback request signal 662 to the network 542 (and thenetwork 542 receiving the playback request signal 662 from the thirdclient device 552), and the network device(s) 542, in response toreceiving the playback request signal 662 from the third client device552, transmitting a third video signal 664 to the third client device552, the third video signal 664 including the shared video footagerecorded by A/V Doorbell #1 520. For example, User's Client Device #3552 may receive the share notification signal 550, which may be, forexample, a push notification. The user associated with User's ClientDevice #3 552 may then choose to view the shared video footage, such asby selecting a “VIEW NOW” button (or an “OK” button, etc.) in the pushnotification. Alternatively, the user may ignore the share notificationsignal 550, but may subsequently request to view the shared videofootage through one or more screens/menus within an applicationexecuting on User's Client Device #3 552, as described below. Theplayback request signal 662 is then sent to the network 542, and theshared video footage is sent to User's Client Device #3 552 in the thirdvideo signal 664.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure. The process of FIG. 31 is describedfrom the perspective of the network device(s). Thus, at block B560 thenetwork device(s) receive a first alert signal and a first video signalfrom a first A/V doorbell. At block B562, the network device(s) transmita second alert signal and a second video signal to the first clientdevice. At block B564, the network device(s) receive a share signal fromthe first client device. At block B566, the network device(s) determineat least one second A/V doorbell within at least one predefined distancefrom the first A/V doorbell. At block B568, the network device(s)transmit a share notification signal to the at least one second clientdevice corresponding to the at least one determined second A/V doorbell.At block B670, the network device(s) receive a playback request signalfrom the second client device. At block B672, the network device(s)transmits a third video signal to the second client device.

FIGS. 32-35 are screenshots of graphical user interfaces (GUIs)illustrating aspects of another process for sharing video footage froman A/V recording and communication device according to an aspect of thepresent disclosure. FIGS. 32-35 are described below from the perspectiveof a user operating his or her client device. Thus, the GUIs illustratedin FIGS. 32-35 are configured to be displayed on a display of the user'sclient device, such as a smartphone.

With reference to FIG. 32, the GUI 680 includes buttons for each of theuser's A/V recording and communication devices. For example, the GUI 680of FIG. 32 includes a first button 682 for the doorbell located adjacentthe user's front door and a second button 684 for the doorbell locatedadjacent the user's back door. The user may view video footage recordedby his or her devices by selecting from among the buttons 682, 684corresponding to each device. The user may further view video footageorganized by type by selecting from among a plurality of filter buttons686, 688, 690. For example, the GUI 680 of FIG. 32 includes a firstfilter button 686 for ALL ACTIVITY, a second filter button 688 for CALLS(video recorded when the front button on the user's doorbell ispressed), and a third filter button 690 for MOTION (video recorded whenthe user's doorbell detects motion). When the user selects the ALLACTIVITY filter button 686, a list 691 may be displayed on the GUI 680that includes entries for all videos recorded by the user's device(s),as well as entries for all shared videos recorded by other users'devices in the user's “neighborhood,” e.g. those devices determinedaccording to the process described above with reference to FIGS. 18 and19. For example, the list 691 of FIG. 32 includes entries labeled“ACCEPTED RING” 692 and “MISSED RING” 694, which correspond to videosrecorded by the user's doorbell(s) in response to the button on thedoorbell(s) being pressed. The list 691 further includes entries labeled“MISSED MOTION” 696, which correspond to videos recorded by the user'sdevice(s) in response to motion being detected.

The list 691 of FIG. 32 further includes an entry labeled “NEIGHBORHOODALERT [Suspicious Activity]” 698. The neighborhood alert entry 698 mayfurther include a neighborhood event icon 700, which identifies theentry 698 as corresponding to a shared video from another user's devicein the user's “neighborhood.” The neighborhood alert entry 698 mayfurther include information about the shared video, including theapproximate location 702 where it was recorded, the day and time 704when it was recorded, and a textual description 706 of the video asprovided by the user whose device recorded the video. If the userselects the neighborhood alert entry 698, a playback request signal 662is sent from the user's client device to the network (FIG. 30), and avideo signal 664 including the requested video is sent from the networkto the user's client device. A GUI similar to that shown in FIG. 25 (butwithout the neighborhood share button) may then be shown on the displayof the user's client device and the user may view the shared video.

With reference to FIG. 33, the GUI 680 may further include a side menu708. The side menu 708 may be accessed, for example, by touching thedisplay of the user's client device and swiping to the right (if thedisplay of the user's client device is a touchscreen). The side menu 708may include buttons 710 for various settings, buttons 712 for each ofthe user's A/V recording and communication devices, as well as aNEIGHBORHOOD button 714. The NEIGHBORHOOD button 714 may further includethe neighborhood event icon 700, which is described in the foregoingparagraph. When the user selects the NEIGHBORHOOD button 714, theNEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY screen 716 illustrated in FIG. 34 may be displayedon the display of the user's client device.

With reference to FIG. 34, the NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY screen 716 mayinclude a Neighborhood button 718 and an Alert Settings button 720. Whenthe user selects the Neighborhood button 718, a NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITYlist 722 may be displayed on the GUI 680 that includes neighborhoodalert entries 698 (the content and functionality of which is describedabove with respect to FIG. 32). With further reference to FIG. 34, whenthe user selects the Alert Settings button 720, if the user has A/Vrecording and communication devices at more than one location, then aSelect a Neighborhood screen 724 may be displayed on the display of theuser's client device, as shown in FIG. 35. The Select a Neighborhoodscreen 724 may include a list 726 having entries corresponding to eachlocation (e.g. each “neighborhood”) where the user has at least one A/Vrecording and communication device. For example, the list 726 of FIG. 35includes a first entry 728 for the user's home “neighborhood” and asecond entry 730 for the user's office “neighborhood.” In certainembodiments, if the user has more than one A/V recording andcommunication device at a given location, only one entry may bedisplayed per location. For example, if the user has two doorbells andone security camera at a given address, only one entry appears in thelist 726 for that location, and the entry covers all three devices atthat location. If the user has one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices at another location, another entry appears in thelist 726 for that other location. Also in certain embodiments, theentries in the list 726 may comprise addresses rather than, or inaddition to, names. For example, rather than the first entry 728 beinglabeled “Home” and the second entry 730 being labeled “Office,” thefirst entry 728 may be labeled “123 Main Street” and the second entry730 may be labeled “456 First Street.”

If, however, the user does not have A/V recording and communicationdevices at more than one location, then when the user selects the AlertSettings button 720 (FIG. 34) a Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 732may be displayed on the display of the user's client device, as shown inFIGS. 36 and 37. Further, if the user has A/V recording andcommunication devices at more than one location, then when the userselects one of the locations from the list 726 on the NEIGHBORHOODACTIVITY screen 716 of FIG. 35, then the Neighborhood Alert Settingsscreen 732 of FIGS. 36 and 37 may also be displayed on the display ofthe user's client device.

With reference to FIG. 36, the Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 732includes an ON/OFF slider widget 734 that enables the user to toggle thevideo sharing feature on and off. When the ON/OFF slider widget 734 isin the ON position, as shown in FIG. 36, the user may receive sharingnotifications (alerts) when other users in the user's “neighborhood”share videos, and shared videos may appear in the list 691 of events onthe user's ALL ACTIVITY screen 736 (FIG. 32), as well as in the list 722of events on the user's NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY screen 716 (FIG. 34). Incertain embodiments, the ON/OFF slider widget 734 may be in the ONposition by default. When the ON/OFF slider widget 734 is in the OFFposition, as shown in FIG. 37, the user may not receive sharingnotifications (alerts) when other users in the user's “neighborhood”share videos, and shared videos may not appear in the list 691 of eventson the user's ALL ACTIVITY screen 736 (FIG. 32), but shared videos mayappear in the list 722 of events on the user's NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITYscreen 716 (FIG. 34). The Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 732 furtherincludes a text banner 738 that explains how the video sharing featurefunctions when the ON/OFF slider widget 734 is in the ON position (FIG.36) and when the ON/OFF slider widget 734 is in the OFF position (FIG.37).

With reference to FIG. 36, the Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 732further includes a map 740. An indicator 742 on the map 740 indicatesthe location of the user's A/V recording and communication device(s)corresponding to the location selected from the list 724 of FIG. 35 (orcorresponding to the single location at which the user has at least oneA/V recording and communication device, if the user does not have A/Vrecording and communication devices at more than one location). In theillustrated embodiment, the indicator 742 comprises a dot, but in otherembodiments the indicator 742 may comprise any other type of indicator,such as a pin, for example. The Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 732further includes a text banner 744 that provides the street address ofthe location corresponding to the indicator 742 on the map 740.

With further reference to FIG. 36, the Neighborhood Alert Settingsscreen 732 further includes a slider widget 746 for adjusting the alertradius around the user's A/V recording and communication device(s) atthe location indicated on the map 740. A circle 748 around the indicator742 on the map 740 identifies the outer boundary of the area 750 fromwhich the user will receive share notifications from other users. Anarea 750 within the circle 748 may be shaded, as indicated in FIG. 36.To adjust the size of the area 750, the user adjusts the length of thealert radius by moving the slider widget 746 up or down. In theillustrated embodiment, moving the slider widget 746 up increases thesize of the area 750 (and the alert radius), while moving the sliderwidget 746 down decreases the size of the area 750 (and the alertradius). As the slider widget 746 is moved up and down, the size of thecircle 748 around the indicator 742 may increase and decrease to providethe user with a visual representation of the area 750 covered as thelength of the alert radius increases and decreases. In some embodiments,the map 740 may have a default scale. As the user moves the sliderwidget 746 up to increase the size of the alert radius, if the circle748 reaches the edges of the map 740, then the map 740 may begin toscale down so that the entire alert area 750 is always visible on themap 740.

When the user adjusts the size of the alert radius, the user's clientdevice may send an alert radius adjustment signal to the network and thenetwork may update a data structure with the changed size of the user'salert radius. For example, with further reference to FIG. 36, the usermay adjust the size of the alert radius by moving the slider widget 746up or down. To confirm the change, the user may select a back arrow 752on the GUI 680 to return to the previous screen within the applicationexecuting on the user's client device. When the user selects the backarrow 752, the alert radius adjustment signal is sent to the network andthe network updates the data structure with the changed size of theuser's alert radius. In some embodiments, if the user exits theapplication without selecting the back arrow 752, then the adjustment ofthe alert radius may be discarded (the size of the alert radius mayremain unchanged).

With further reference to FIG. 36, the magnitude of the alert radius maybe indicated by a number on the slider widget 746. For example, in FIG.36 the alert radius is set at 0.2 miles, as indicated by the number 0.2on the slider widget 746. Maximum and/or minimum magnitudes of the alertradius may be indicated by numbers at opposite ends of the slider widget746. For example, in FIG. 36 the maximum alert radius is indicated as 10miles at the upper end of the slider widget 746, while the minimum alertradius is indicated as 0.1 miles at the lower end of the slider widget746. It should be appreciated that the maximum and minimum magnitudesshown in FIGS. 36 and 37 are just examples and are not limiting.

In certain embodiments, the magnitude of the alert radius may bedynamically set based on the number of other A/V recording andcommunication devices around the location indicated on the map 740. Forexample, the alert radius may be set such that the resulting definedarea 750 around the user's A/V recording and communication deviceencompasses at least a minimum threshold number of other A/V recordingand communication devices. Alternatively, the alert radius may be setsuch that the resulting defined area 750 around the user's A/V recordingand communication device encompasses no more than a maximum thresholdnumber of other A/V recording and communication devices. Still further,the alert radius may be set such that the resulting defined area 750around the user's A/V recording and communication device encompasses anumber of other A/V recording and communication devices that fallswithin a defined range. In certain embodiments, the magnitude of thealert radius may be dynamically adjusted as the number of other A/Vrecording and communication devices around the user's device changes.Thus, as more A/V recording and communication devices are added aroundthe user's device, the size of the alert radius may be decreased so thatthe number of other A/V recording and communication devices in thedefined area 750 remains about the same. Conversely, as A/V recordingand communication devices are removed (or deactivated) from the area 750around the user's device, the size of the alert radius may be increasedso that the number of other A/V recording and communication devices inthe defined area 750 remains about the same. In certain embodiments, theuser may override the dynamic setting and/or adjustment of the magnitudeof the alert radius by manually selecting the magnitude of the alertradius by moving the slider widget 746 as described above with referenceto FIG. 36.

In some embodiments, the defined alert area about a user's A/V recordingand communication device may not have a circular outer boundary. Forexample, a user may define an alert area about his or her A/V recordingand communication device that has a non-circular shape, such as square,rectangular, or any other shape, including irregular polygons. The shapeof the alert area may also extend a greater distance from A/V recordingand communication device in one direction than in another direction. Forexample, if an A/V recording and communication device is located in acoastal area, or on a lakefront, or on an edge of an uninhabited area(such as a desert), or on an edge of a restricted area (such as amilitary base), then the user may not want the alert area to extend overthe water, or desert, or military base, etc., but the user may want thealert area to extend a substantial distance in directions away from thewater, or desert, or military base, etc. In such embodiments, the A/Vrecording and communication device would not be located at the center ofthe defined alert area.

FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure. In the process of FIG. 38, a newA/V recording and communication device is activated and connected to thenetwork. In certain embodiments, some aspects of theactivation/setup/connection process may be carried out using anapplication executing on the user's client device. Thus, with referenceto FIG. 38, the user's client device 754 (User's Client Device #1) maysend to the network 756, and the network 756 may receive from the user'sclient device 754, information 758 associated with the user's A/Vrecording and communication device (A/V Doorbell #1). The information758 may include, for example, the location of the user's A/V recordingand communication device. The location may comprise the street addressof a building with which the user's A/V recording and communicationdevice is associated, such as being secured thereto, for example. Theuser's client device 754 may further send to the network 756, and thenetwork 756 may further receive from the user's client device 754, anenable signal 760 for the video sharing feature of the user's A/Vrecording and communication device. For example, during the setupprocess the user may enable (turn on) the video sharing feature using aGUI such as that illustrated in FIG. 36. In some embodiments, the videosharing feature may be enabled by default, such that the user does nothave to take any affirmative steps to enable the video sharing feature.

With further reference to FIG. 38, the user's client device 754 mayfurther send to the network 756, and the network 756 may further receivefrom the user's client device 754, a notification distance (alertradius) 762 associated with the video sharing feature of the user's A/Vrecording and communication device. For example, during the setupprocess the user may select an alert radius 762 using a GUI such as thatillustrated in FIG. 36. In some embodiments, the alert radius 762 may beset automatically to a default value, or may be set automaticallyaccording to the criteria described above, such that the user does nothave to take any affirmative steps to set the alert radius 762. Thealert radius 762 defines an area around the user's A/V recording andcommunication device that encompasses at least one other A/V recordingand communication device, which in this example will be referred to asA/V Doorbell #2. A/V Doorbell #2 may record video footage, and the userassociated with A/V Doorbell #2 may share the recorded video footageaccording to a process described herein. Thus, with further reference toFIG. 38, the client device associated with A/V Doorbell #2 (User'sClient Device #2 764) may send to the network 756, and the network 756may receive from User's Client Device #2 764, a share signal 766. Thenetwork 756, after determining that A/V Doorbell #2 764 is within thealert area defined around A/V Doorbell #1, may then send a sharenotification signal 768 to the client device associated with A/VDoorbell #1 (User's Client Device #1 754).

FIGS. 39 and 40 are flowcharts illustrating other processes for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 39 is described from theperspective of the user, while FIG. 40 is described from the perspectiveof the network device(s). Thus, with reference to FIG. 39, at block B770the user may activate a new A/V recording and communication device andconnect it to the network. As described above, some aspects of theactivation/setup/connection process may be carried out using anapplication executing on the user's client device. At block B772, theuser may enable the video sharing feature of the user's A/V recordingand communication device, and at block B774 the user may set anotification distance (alert radius) associated with the video sharingfeature of the user's A/V recording and communication device. Asdescribed above, these aspects of the activation/setup/connectionprocess may be automated, such that the user does not have to take anyaffirmative steps. The alert radius defines an area around the user'sA/V recording and communication device that encompasses at least oneother A/V recording and communication device, which in this example willbe referred to as a second A/V doorbell. The second A/V doorbell mayrecord video footage, and the user associated with the second A/Vdoorbell may share the recorded video footage according to a processdescribed herein. The client device associated with the second A/Vdoorbell may send to the network, and the network may receive from thesecond A/V doorbell, a share signal. The network, after determining thatthe second A/V doorbell is within the alert area defined around A/VDoorbell #1, may then send a share notification signal to the clientdevice associated with A/V Doorbell #1 (first client device). Thus, atblock B776 the first client device may receive the share notificationsignal, including a link to the video footage recorded by the second A/Vdoorbell that is within the notification distance (alert radius) of thefirst A/V doorbell.

With reference to FIG. 40, at block B778 the network may receive fromthe user's client device information associated with the user's A/Vrecording and communication device (first A/V doorbell). The informationmay include, for example, the location of the first A/V doorbell. Thelocation may comprise the street address of a building with which thefirst A/V doorbell is associated, such as being secured thereto, forexample. At block B780, the network may further receive from the user'sclient device, an enable signal for the video sharing feature of thefirst A/V doorbell. For example, during the setup process the user mayenable (turn on) the video sharing feature using a GUI such as thatillustrated in FIG. 36. In some embodiments, the video sharing featuremay be enabled by default, such that the user does not have to take anyaffirmative steps to enable the video sharing feature.

With further reference to FIG. 40, at block B782 the network may furtherreceive from the user's client device a notification distance (alertradius) associated with the video sharing feature of the first A/Vdoorbell. For example, during the setup process the user may select analert radius using a GUI such as that illustrated in FIG. 36. In someembodiments, the alert radius may be set automatically to a defaultvalue, or may be set automatically according to the criteria describedabove, such that the user does not have to take any affirmative steps toset the alert radius. At block B784, the network may update one or moredata structures (alert areas) with the information received about thefirst A/V doorbell, including its location and/or its alert radius.

The alert radius defines an area around the first A/V doorbell thatencompasses at least one other A/V recording and communication device,which in this example will be referred to as second A/V doorbell. Thesecond A/V doorbell may record video footage, and the user associatedwith the second A/V doorbell may share the recorded video footageaccording to a process described herein. Thus, with further reference toFIG. 40, at block B786 the network may receive from the second clientdevice a share signal. The network, after determining, at block B788,that the second A/V doorbell is within the alert area defined around thefirst A/V doorbell, may then send a share notification signal to theclient device associated with the first A/V doorbell at block B790.

FIG. 41 is a sequence diagram illustrating another process for sharingvideo footage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure. The process of FIG. 41 includesaspects of the process of FIG. 38, including the user's client device754 (User's Client Device #1) sending to the network 756 (and thenetwork 756 receiving from the user's client device 754, information 758associated with the user's A/V recording and communication device (A/VDoorbell #1), the user's client device 754 further sending to thenetwork 756 (and the network 756 further receiving from the user'sclient device 754) an enable signal 760 for the video sharing feature ofthe user's A/V recording and communication device, the user's clientdevice 754 further sending to the network 756 (and the network 756further receiving from the user's client device 754) a notificationdistance (alert radius) 762 associated with the video sharing feature ofthe user's A/V recording and communication device, the second clientdevice 764 (User's Client Device #2) sending a share signal 766 to thenetwork 756 (and the network 756 receiving the share signal 766 from thesecond client device 764), and the network device(s) 756 transmitting ashare notification signal 768 to the user's client device 754.

The process of FIG. 41 further comprises the user's client device 754sending a playback request signal 792 to the network 756 (and thenetwork 756 receiving the playback request signal from the user's clientdevice 754), and the network device(s) 756, in response to receiving theplayback request signal 792 from the user's client device 754,transmitting a video signal 794 to the user's client device 754, thevideo signal 794 including the shared video footage recorded by A/VDoorbell #2. For example, User's Client Device #1 754 may receive theshare notification signal 768, which may be, for example, a pushnotification. The user associated with User's Client Device #1 754 maythen choose to view the shared video footage, such as by selecting a“VIEW NOW” button (or an “OK” button, etc.) in the push notification.Alternatively, the user may ignore the share notification signal 768,but may subsequently request to view the shared video footage throughone or more screens/menus within an application executing on User'sClient Device #1 754, as described above. The playback request signal768 is then sent to the network 756, and the shared video footage issent to User's Client Device #1 754 in the video signal 794.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from an A/V recording and communication doorbell according to anaspect of the present disclosure. The process of FIG. 42 is describedfrom the perspective of the network device(s). Thus, at block B778 thenetwork receives from the user's client device information associatedwith the user's A/V recording and communication device (first A/Vdoorbell). The information may include, for example, the location of thefirst A/V doorbell. The location may comprise the street address of abuilding with which the first A/V doorbell is associated, such as beingsecured thereto, for example. At block B780, the network may furtherreceive from the user's client device, an enable signal for the videosharing feature of the first A/V doorbell. For example, during the setupprocess the user may enable (turn on) the video sharing feature using aGUI such as that illustrated in FIG. 36. In some embodiments, the videosharing feature may be enabled by default, such that the user does nothave to take any affirmative steps to enable the video sharing feature.

With further reference to FIG. 42, at block B782 the network may furtherreceive from the user's client device a notification distance (alertradius) associated with the video sharing feature of the first A/Vdoorbell. For example, during the setup process the user may select analert radius using a GUI such as that illustrated in FIG. 36. In someembodiments, the alert radius may be set automatically to a defaultvalue, or may be set automatically according to the criteria describedabove, such that the user does not have to take any affirmative steps toset the alert radius. At block B784, the network may update one or moredata structures (alert areas) with the information received about thefirst A/V doorbell, including its location and/or its alert radius.

The alert radius defines an area around the first A/V doorbell thatencompasses at least one other A/V recording and communication device,which in this example will be referred to as second A/V doorbell. Thesecond A/V doorbell may record video footage, and the user associatedwith the second A/V doorbell may share the recorded video footageaccording to a process described herein. Thus, with further reference toFIG. 40, at block B786 the network may receive from the second clientdevice a share signal. The network, after determining, at block B788,that the second A/V doorbell is within the alert area defined around thefirst A/V doorbell, may then send a share notification signal to theclient device associated with the first A/V doorbell at block B790. Atblock B796, the network receives a playback request signal from thefirst client device. At block B798, the network transmits a video signalto the first client device.

FIG. 43 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system 800 forsharing video footage from audio/video recording and communicationdevices according to the present embodiments. The system 800 maycomprise a backend API 802 including one or more components. A backendAPI (application programming interface) may comprise, for example, aserver (e.g. a real server, or a virtual machine, or a machine runningin a cloud infrastructure as a service), or multiple servers networkedtogether, exposing at least one API to client(s) accessing it. Theseservers may include components such as application servers (e.g.software servers), depending upon what other components are included,such as a caching layer, or database layers, or other components. Abackend API may, for example, comprise many such applications, each ofwhich communicate with one another using their public APIs. In someembodiments, the API backend may hold the bulk of the user data andoffer the user management capabilities, leaving the clients to have verylimited state.

The backend API 802 illustrated FIG. 43 may include one or more APIs804. An API is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for buildingsoftware and applications. An API expresses a software component interms of its operations, inputs, outputs, and underlying types, definingfunctionalities that are independent of their respectiveimplementations, which allows definitions and implementations to varywithout compromising the interface. Advantageously, an API may provide aprogrammer with access to an application's functionality without theprogrammer needing to modify the application itself, or even understandhow the application works. An API may be for a web-based system, anoperating system, or a database system, and it provides facilities todevelop applications for that system using a given programming language.In addition to accessing databases or computer hardware like hard diskdrives or video cards, an API can ease the work of programming GUIcomponents. For example, an API can facilitate integration of newfeatures into existing applications (a so-called “plug-in API”). An APIcan also assist otherwise distinct applications with sharing data, whichcan help to integrate and enhance the functionalities of theapplications.

The backend API 802 illustrated in FIG. 43 may further include one ormore services 806, 808 (also referred to as network services). A networkservice is an application that provides data storage, manipulation,presentation, communication, and/or other capability. Network servicesare often implemented using a client-server architecture based onapplication-layer network protocols. Each service may be provided by aserver component running on one or more computers (such as a dedicatedserver computer offering multiple services) and accessed via a networkby client components running on other devices. However, the client andserver components can both be run on the same machine. Clients andservers may have a user interface, and sometimes other hardwareassociated with them.

The backend API 802 illustrated in FIG. 43 includes an alert areasservice 806. The alert areas service 806 may comprise one or more datastructures 810 storing information about a plurality of A/V recordingand communication devices. For example, the information may include thelocation of each device (such as the street address of each device), andthe size of the alert radius around each device. The alert areas service806 may access the information in the data structure(s) 810 when neededto determine which users will receive a share notification when a firstuser shares recorded video footage, as further described below. Thealert areas service 806 may also maintain the information in the datastructure(s) 810 and update the information in the data structure(s) 810when new A/V recording and communication devices are activated, whenexisting A/V recording and communication devices are deactivated, and/orwhen the alert radii around existing A/V recording and communicationdevices are changed.

In the system 800 of FIG. 43, a first A/V recording and communicationdevice 812 (A/V Doorbell 812 #1) may record video footage, which mayalso include audio. The doorbell 812 sends a first alert signal and afirst video signal 814 to the API 804, and the API 804 receives thefirst alert signal and the first video signal 814. The first videosignal includes images (the video footage) captured by a camera of thedoorbell 812. The API 804 transmits to a first client device 816 (User'sClient Device #1), in response to receiving the first alert signal andthe first video signal 814, a second alert signal and a second videosignal 818. The second alert signal may be, for example, a pushnotification. The second video signal includes the images captured bythe camera of the doorbell 812. The user associated with the firstclient device 816 may be the owner/user of the doorbell 812 (A/VDoorbell #1). The user, upon receiving the second alert signal, maychoose to answer the second alert signal, which may, for example, open alive call between the user and the visitor at the doorbell 812.Alternatively, the user may ignore the second alert signal (e.g. choosenot to answer the call). If the user ignores the second alert signal, heor she may still view the video footage of the second video signal at alater time. After viewing (or while viewing) the video footage on thedisplay of his or her client device 816, the user may decide to sharethe video footage with other users. For example, the user may tap a“share” button from within an application executing on his or her clientdevice 816. The first client device 816 then sends a share signal 820 tothe API 804, and the API 804 receives the share signal 820 from thefirst client device 816. The share signal 820 may include textdescribing the images captured by the camera of the doorbell 812 (A/VDoorbell #1). In response to receiving the share signal 820 from thefirst client device 816, the API 804 sends identifying information 822to the alert areas service 806. For example, the identifying information822 may include an identifier for the user associated with A/V Doorbell#1 and an identifier for the video footage that is to be shared withother users. Alternatively, the identifying information 822 may includean identifier for A/V Doorbell #1 (rather than an identifier for theuser associated with A/V Doorbell #1) and an identifier for the videofootage that is to be shared with other users. The alert areas service806 accesses the alert areas data structure(s) 810 and determines, basedon the identifying information 822, the other users who are to receive anotification of the shared video footage. For example, the alert areasservice 806, using the information stored in the alert areas datastructure(s) 810 may determine that A/V Doorbell #1 812 is within thealert radius defined around at least one other A/V recording andcommunication device. Once the other device(s) has/have been identified,the alert areas service 806 may transmit a share notification signal 824to a push notification service 808. The share notification signal 824may include the text describing the images captured by the camera of thedoorbell 812 (A/V Doorbell #1). The push notification service 808 maythen forward one or more push notifications 825 to a plurality ofprovider push notification services 826. The provider push notificationservices 826 are configured to send push notifications to client devicesthat run different operating systems. For example, Android devices mayreceive push notifications from an Android push notification service826, while iOS devices may receive push notifications from an iOS pushnotification service 826. Android is a mobile operating system (OS)developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel. iOS, by contrast, is amobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. anddistributed exclusively for Apple hardware. The provider pushnotification services 826 then send push notifications 828 to the clientdevices 830 associated with the other doorbell(s) identified by thealert areas service 806. The other user(s), upon receiving the pushnotifications 828, may choose to view the shared video footage.Alternatively, the other user(s) may ignore the push notifications 828.If the other user(s) ignores the push notifications 828, he or she maystill view the shared video footage at a later time. In either event(viewing the shared video footage right away or viewing the shared videofootage at a later time), one or more of the client devices 830 sends aplayback request signal (not shown) to the backend API 802 (and thebackend API 802 receives the playback request signal from the one ormore of the client devices 830). In response to receiving the playbackrequest signal from the one or more of the client devices 830, thebackend API 802 transmits a video signal (not shown) to the one or moreof the client devices 830. The video signal includes the shared videofootage. In certain embodiments, the alert areas service 806 may receivethe playback request signal from the one or more of the client devices830 and transmit the video signal to the one or more of the clientdevices 830. If the other user(s) opens the push notification, which maycontain a reference to the shared video footage, the other user(s)client device(s) 830 may use the API 804 to get the URL (UniformResource Locator) of the shared video footage and any other metadata (ifany) about the shared video footage so that the shared video footage canbe played back. If the other user(s) opens the shared video footage fromthe NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY screen 716 (FIG. 34), a similar process mayoccur, but the reference to the shared video footage may be in theactivity feed item.

In some embodiments, an A/V recording and communication device may beginrecording video footage not in response to a visitor being detected, butrather when a user accesses the camera of the device to view live videofootage using his or her client device (e.g. “on-demand” viewing). Insuch embodiments, a process for sharing a video may include a step ofthe user accessing the camera of the device to view live video footageusing his or her client device (e.g. “on-demand” viewing), followed bythe user sharing the live video footage. For example, the user mayselect a share button from within an application executing on the user'sclient device (similar to the share button 584 described above withrespect to FIGS. 20 and 21), and a share signal may then be sent fromthe user's client device and received by the network device(s) (similarto step 548 described above with respect to FIG. 18), and a sharenotification signal may then be sent from the network device(s) andreceived by another client device(s) (similar to step 550 describedabove with respect to FIG. 18). Example embodiments of video-on-demandare described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 62/267,762 and62/289,114, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties as if fully set forth.

As described above, the present embodiments advantageously enable usersof A/V recording and communication devices to share video footage withone another. This feature can help reduce crime by increasing publicawareness of suspicious activity. Users can tailor the number andfrequency of alerts (notifications of shared videos) they receive byincreasing and decreasing the size of the alert radius around their ownA/V recording and communication device(s). Users will only receivealerts that result from videos recorded by other A/V recording andcommunication devices that are located within the alert area that theuser has set. Users may share videos as frequently or as infrequently asdesired, and users may view shared videos from other users as frequentlyor as infrequently as desired. When a user receives an alert, he or shecan choose to view the accompanying video immediately, or to ignore thealert. If the user ignores the alert, he or she can still view the videoat a later time using one or more menu screens within an applicationexecuting on the user's client device. The present embodiments thusadvantageously provide a tool that can be used to reduce crime rates andthat can be tailored by each user to meet his or her personalpreferences.

The present embodiments describe numerous ways for sharing videos,including via social media and/or social network(s). A social networkmay comprise a third-party network, such as NEXTDOOR®, FACEBOOK®,INSTAGRAM®, TWITTER®, etc. A social network may also comprise a networkmade up of users of A/V recording and communication devices, such asvideo doorbells and security cameras. For example, when a user shares avideo via the neighborhood share button 584 described above with respectto FIGS. 20, 21, 25, and 26, the video is shared with a social networkin which the members of the social network are users who have A/Vrecording and communication devices, such as video doorbells andsecurity cameras. The present embodiments are not limited to anyparticular kind or type of social network. Further, participants in thesocial network are not limited to users of A/V recording andcommunication devices of any particular kind or type.

In the present embodiments, some steps shown in one or more of thesequence diagrams and/or flowcharts may be omitted. For example, in theprocess for sharing video footage from a first A/V recording andcommunication device, such as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, for example, thesteps of transmitting/receiving the first alert signal and the firstvideo signal and transmitting/receiving the second alert signal and thesecond video signal may be omitted. Such an embodiment might comprise,therefore, just the steps of transmitting/receiving the share signaltransmitting/receiving the share notification signal.

FIG. 44 is a functional block diagram of a client device 850 on whichthe present embodiments may be implemented according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. The user's client device 114 described withreference to FIG. 1 may include some or all of the components and/orfunctionality of the client device 850. The client device 850 maycomprise, for example, a smartphone.

With reference to FIG. 44, the client device 850 includes a processor852, a memory 854, a user interface 856, a communication module 858, anda dataport 860. These components are communicatively coupled together byan interconnect bus 862. The processor 852 may include any processorused in smartphones and/or portable computing devices, such as an ARMprocessor (a processor based on the RISC (reduced instruction setcomputer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM).). Insome embodiments, the processor 852 may include one or more otherprocessors, such as one or more conventional microprocessors, and/or oneor more supplementary co-processors, such as math co-processors.

The memory 854 may include both operating memory, such as random accessmemory (RAM), as well as data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM),hard drives, flash memory, or any other suitable memory/storage element.The memory 854 may include removable memory elements, such as aCompactFlash card, a MultiMediaCard (MMC), and/or a Secure Digital (SD)card. In some embodiments, the memory 854 may comprise a combination ofmagnetic, optical, and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, and/or a hard disk or drive. Theprocessor 852 and the memory 854 each may be, for example, locatedentirely within a single device, or may be connected to each other by acommunication medium, such as a USB port, a serial port cable, a coaxialcable, an Ethernet-type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequencytransceiver, or other similar wireless or wired medium or combination ofthe foregoing. For example, the processor 852 may be connected to thememory 854 via the dataport 860.

The user interface 856 may include any user interface or presentationelements suitable for a smartphone and/or a portable computing device,such as a keypad, a display screen, a touchscreen, a microphone, and aspeaker. The communication module 858 is configured to handlecommunication links between the client device 850 and other, externaldevices or receivers, and to route incoming/outgoing data appropriately.For example, inbound data from the dataport 860 may be routed throughthe communication module 858 before being directed to the processor 852,and outbound data from the processor 852 may be routed through thecommunication module 858 before being directed to the dataport 860. Thecommunication module 858 may include one or more transceiver modulescapable of transmitting and receiving data, and using, for example, oneor more protocols and/or technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (3GSM), IS-95(CDMA one), IS-2000 (CDMA 2000), LTE, FDMA, TDMA, W-CDMA, CDMA, OFDMA,Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or any other protocol and/or technology.

The dataport 860 may be any type of connector used for physicallyinterfacing with a smartphone and/or a portable computing device, suchas a mini-USB port or an IPHONE®/IPOD® 30-pin connector or LIGHTNING®connector. In other embodiments, the dataport 860 may include multiplecommunication channels for simultaneous communication with, for example,other processors, servers, and/or client terminals.

The memory 854 may store instructions for communicating with othersystems, such as a computer. The memory 854 may store, for example, aprogram (e.g., computer program code) adapted to direct the processor852 in accordance with the present embodiments. The instructions alsomay include program elements, such as an operating system. Whileexecution of sequences of instructions in the program causes theprocessor 852 to perform the process steps described herein, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with,software/firmware instructions for implementation of the processes ofthe present embodiments. Thus, the present embodiments are not limitedto any specific combination of hardware and software.

FIG. 45 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The computer system 900 mayexecute at least some of the operations described above. The computersystem 900 may be embodied in at least one of a personal computer (alsoreferred to as a desktop computer) 900A, a portable computer (alsoreferred to as a laptop or notebook computer) 900B, and/or a server900C. A server is a computer program and/or a machine that waits forrequests from other machines or software (clients) and responds to them.A server typically processes data. The purpose of a server is to sharedata and/or hardware and/or software resources among clients. Thisarchitecture is called the client-server model. The clients may run onthe same computer or may connect to the server over a network. Examplesof computing servers include database servers, file servers, mailservers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and applicationservers. The term server may be construed broadly to include anycomputerized process that shares a resource to one or more clientprocesses.

The computer system 900 may include at least one processor 910, memory920, at least one storage device 930, and input/output (I/O) devices940. Some or all of the components 910, 920, 930, 940 may beinterconnected via a system bus 950. The processor 910 may be single- ormulti-threaded and may have one or more cores. The processor 910 mayexecute instructions, such as those stored in the memory 920 and/or inthe storage device 930. Information may be received and output using oneor more I/O devices 940.

The memory 920 may store information, and may be a computer-readablemedium, such as volatile or non-volatile memory. The storage device(s)930 may provide storage for the system 900, and may be acomputer-readable medium. In various aspects, the storage device(s) 930may be a flash memory device, a hard disk device, an optical diskdevice, a tape device, or any other type of storage device.

The I/O devices 940 may provide input/output operations for the system900. The I/O devices 940 may include a keyboard, a pointing device,and/or a microphone. The I/O devices 940 may further include a displayunit for displaying graphical user interfaces, a speaker, and/or aprinter. External data may be stored in one or more accessible externaldatabases 960.

In some embodiments, users may tag or categorize their videos whensharing them with other users, and users may set one or more preferencesfor the type(s) of videos for which they want to receive sharenotifications. For example, FIG. 46 illustrates an embodiment of agraphical user interface (GUI) 970 for setting one or more userpreferences for the type(s) of videos for which the user wants toreceive share notifications. The Neighborhood Alert Settings screen 970includes a list 972 having a plurality of categories, including, forexample, SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 974, BURGLARY 976, ATTEMPTED BURGLARY 978,VANDALISM 980, THEFT 982, and OTHER 984. By selecting one or more of thelisted categories, a user may limit the type(s) of videos that will beshared with that user. For example, the user may only receive sharenotifications for shared videos that fall within one or more of thecategories that the user has selected. A GUI (not shown) similar to thatshown in FIG. 46 may be provided to users during the video sharingprocess, so that the shared videos can be tagged or categorized. In someembodiments, a user may choose not to categorize a shared video. In someembodiments, a user who has set preferences for the types of videos heor she wants to be notified about may receive share notifications foruncategorized shared videos. In alternative embodiments, a user who hasset preferences for the types of videos he or she wants to be notifiedabout may not receive share notifications for uncategorized sharedvideos.

In some embodiments, users may be able to view shared videos regardlessof where their own A/V recording and communication devices are located.In still further embodiments, even users who do not even own any A/Vrecording and communication devices may be able to view shared videos.For example, shared videos may be available through a publiclyaccessible forum, such as a website. In another example, shared videosmay be accessed by users running an application on their client devices.A user sharing a video may have the option to make the shared videoavailable to the public, or to restrict the shared video to only thoseusers identified through the processes described above, such as theprocesses of FIGS. 16-19. In still further embodiments, a user may beable to view shared videos from any area the user specifies by selectinga location on a map and specifying an alert radius around the location.In still further embodiments, a user may enable “alerts around me.” Thisfeature may work in real-time to provide the user with alerts fromwithin a given radius of the user's current location. The user's currentlocation may be determined, for example, using GPS technology and theuser's mobile client device, such as a smartphone.

In some embodiments, shared videos may be accessed by law enforcementagencies. For example, a user sharing a video may have the option tomake the shared video available to law enforcement through a web portal.Law enforcement may be able to log in through the web portal to view theshared videos. For example, the web portal may include a map viewindicating the locations of all of the shared videos. The map view mayinclude selectable markers or icons corresponding to the locations ofthe shared videos. Selecting one of the icons may open a video playerand begin playback of the shared video corresponding to the selectedicon. Different law enforcement agencies, departments, or groups mayhave different logins that grant access to specific zones, such asgeographic locations that are within the jurisdiction of each agency,department, or group.

In some embodiments, users may be able to block videos from certainother users and/or from certain locations.

In some embodiments, when a user attempts to share a video, the videomay undergo a review before being shared with other users. For example,with reference to FIG. 18, when the network 542 receives the sharesignal 548, an administrator may subsequently review the video beforethe share notification signal 550 may be sent to any client devices ofother users. If the video violates any policies, the administrator mayprevent the share notification signal 550 from being sent to any clientdevices of other users. A notification, such as an e-mail, may be sentto the user who shared the video explaining that the video did notcomply with one or more policies or guidelines. The requirement foradministrator review may apply to all users, or selectively to only someusers, such as users who have attempted to share one or moreinappropriate videos. In further embodiments, an administrator may ban auser from sharing videos, such as for repeated policy violations (suchas attempting to share one or more inappropriate videos).

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computerhardware, firmware, software, and/or in combinations thereof. Featuresof the present embodiments may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as amachine-readable storage device, and/or in a propagated signal, forexecution by a programmable processor. Embodiments of the present methodsteps may be performed by a programmable processor executing a programof instructions to perform functions of the described implementations byoperating on input data and generating output.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processorcoupled to receive data and/or instructions from, and to transmit dataand/or instructions to, a data storage system, at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. A computer program may include aset of instructions that may be used, directly or indirectly, in acomputer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result.A computer program may be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions mayinclude, for example, both general and special purpose processors,and/or the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind ofcomputer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and/or datafrom a read only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM), or both.Such a computer may include a processor for executing instructions andone or more memories for storing instructions and/or data.

Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled tocommunicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing datafiles. Such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disksand/or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and/or optical disks.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and/or data may include all forms of non-volatile memory,including for example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal harddisks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, orincorporated in, one or more ASICs (application-specific integratedcircuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the features of the presentembodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device,such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user. The computer may further include a keyboard, apointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, and/or a touchscreen bywhich the user may provide input to the computer.

The features of the present embodiments may be implemented in a computersystem that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, and/orthat includes a middleware component, such as an application server oran Internet server, and/or that includes a front-end component, such asa client computer having a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or anInternet browser, or any combination of these. The components of thesystem may be connected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, such as a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks may include, for example, a LAN (local areanetwork), a WAN (wide area network), and/or the computers and networksforming the Internet.

The computer system may include clients and servers. A client and servermay be remote from each other and interact through a network, such asthose described herein. The relationship of client and server may ariseby virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

The above description presents the best mode contemplated for carryingout the present embodiments, and of the manner and process of practicingthem, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable anyperson skilled in the art to which they pertain to practice theseembodiments. The present embodiments are, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, thepresent invention covers all modifications and alternate constructionscoming within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps in the processes described herein need not beperformed in the same order as they have been presented, and may beperformed in any order(s). Further, steps that have been presented asbeing performed separately may in alternative embodiments be performedconcurrently. Likewise, steps that have been presented as beingperformed concurrently may in alternative embodiments be performedseparately.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for communicating among a firstaudio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, a first clientdevice associated with the first A/V recording and communication device,at least a second A/V recording and communication device, at least asecond client device associated with the second A/V recording andcommunication device, and a network device, the system comprising: thenetwork device having a processor and a memory, wherein the memorystores code operable by the processor for receiving from the firstclient device information associated with the first A/V recording andcommunication device, including a location of the first A/V recordingand communication device; receiving from the first client device anenable signal for a share feature of the first A/V recording andcommunication device; receiving from the first client device anotification distance associated with the share feature of the first A/Vrecording and communication device; updating at least one data structuremaintained by the network device with the received information and thereceived notification distance; receiving a share signal from the secondclient device; in response to receiving the share signal from the secondclient device, determining that the second A/V recording andcommunication device is within the notification distance associated withthe share feature of the first A/V recording and communication device;and transmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory further storescode operable by the processor for receiving a playback request signalfrom the first client device in response to the share notificationsignal.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-volatile memoryfurther stores code operable by the processor for transmitting a videosignal to the first client device in response to the playback requestsignal, the video signal including images captured by a camera of thesecond A/V recording and communication device.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the share signal from the second client device includes textdescribing the images captured by the camera of the second A/V recordingand communication device.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein thenon-volatile memory further stores code operable by the processor fortransmitting the text together with the share notification signal to thefirst client device.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notificationdistance is configurable by a user of the first A/V recording andcommunication device.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe first A/V recording and communication device and the second A/Vrecording and communication device is an audio/video communicationdoorbell.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the firstclient device and the second client device is a smartphone.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the network device is a server.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises one or morenetwork services.
 11. A method for communicating among a firstaudio/video (AN) recording and communication device, a first clientdevice associated with the first A/V recording and communication device,at least a second A/V recording and communication device, at least asecond client device associated with the second A/V recording andcommunication device, and a network device, the method comprising:receiving from the first client device information associated with thefirst A/V recording and communication device, including a location ofthe first A/V recording and communication device; receiving from thefirst client device an enable signal for a share feature of the firstA/V recording and communication device; receiving from the first clientdevice a notification distance associated with the share feature of thefirst A/V recording and communication device; updating at least one datastructure maintained by the network device with the received informationand the received notification distance; receiving a share signal fromthe second client device; in response to receiving the share signal fromthe second client device, determining that the second A/V recording andcommunication device is within the notification distance associated withthe share feature of the first A/V recording and communication device;and transmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a playbackrequest signal from the first client device in response to the sharenotification signal.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingtransmitting a video signal to the first client device in response tothe playback request signal, the video signal including images capturedby a camera of the second A/V recording and communication device. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the share signal from the second clientdevice includes text describing the images captured by the camera of thesecond A/V recording and communication device.
 15. The method of claim14, further comprising transmitting the text together with the sharenotification signal to the first client device.
 16. The method of claim11, wherein the notification distance is configurable by a user of thefirst A/V recording and communication device.
 17. The method of claim11, wherein at least one of the first A/V recording and communicationdevice and the second A/V recording and communication device is anaudio/video communication doorbell.
 18. The method of claim 11, whereinat least one of the first client device and the second client device isa smartphone.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the network device isa server.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the network devicecomprises one or more network services.